Russell Brand Online

Russell Brand needs no introduction, a huge star in the UK currently breaking big in America, with the world at his feet. Russell needed a website that connected him with his legion of fans throughout the world, through the use of blogging (video and text) and effectively linking in with his social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter and Myspace).

www.russellbrand.tv is exceptional in its complete immersion in Web 2.0, connecting directly with social networking and encouraging genuine audience interaction. Two-way conversations between Russell and his fans help to bring the ‘star’ closer to his audience. By making use of the latest technology, the website is a perfect demonstration of how ‘brands’ can interact with their audience for the greatest reciprocal benefit. The basic use of social networking had already gone some way to making him more accessible but we wanted to go further and present a more intimate and ‘behind the scenes’ view of the star. This is what his audience enjoy most and demand as fans.

We stipulated that all content was created by Russell or his close team, and that all video on the site is “homemade”. Essentially, the site is a blog, with the long-term plan being to develop it to allow further functionality and also the ability to generate revenue and monetise particular areas.

Accessibility is a key consideration with this site. Conforming to WCAG guidelines (excl. video content). Updating of the site is designed to be easy via mobile applications (designed to be updated in the back of a limo!)

Site hits have gone from an average of 1,000 per day to over 8,000 with regular spikes of 16-20,000. Twitter followers now are over 1,100,000 and both Facebook and Myspace friends are at over 500,000 each. The site is built on a Wordpress platform and hosted by Halo. Video is hosted via Vimeo.

Halo continue to work with Russell Brand and his production company Vanity, with new projects currently in production.