This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers an Exorcism on Chatroulette, Facebook’s Places vs. Foursquare, and Yakult’s spokes-stomach.  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

“Nobody likes a know-it-all” is what we’ve always been told. But given our collective fascination for how-to online videos, we secretly must love self-appointed experts. In fact, one of the most Googled combinations of words is “how to….” From learning how to cook the perfect turkey to how to remove pesky stains on a coffee cup, online visitors are always looking for answers. Not only are instructional videos garnering their own websites, they also are helping aspiring experts build brands and gain lucrative business deals just by sharing what they know with curious viewers.

Shine.com recently put the spotlight on Kimberly Clayton Blaine, a.k.a. the Go-To Mom. The licensed parenting therapist took her business to the next level by answering the questions of moms she met on the playground in a series of online videos. Blaine’s practice soon became known on a national level and partnerships with Sony and Yahoo! followed. Her new book, The Go-To Mom’s Parents’ Guide to Emotion Coaching Young Children is set to hit stores next month. Blaine’s business model is a simple one that provides answers while establishing her as an expert in her field.

In cases like Michelle Phan, sometimes showing views how to do something can literally create a career. With 32 million and growing viewers on YouTube, Phan is the site’s No. 1 beauty guru. The Vietnamese- American make-up artist has been profiled by Forbes, scored an exclusive deal with Lancôme and become a New York fashion week artist all by the age of 23. Wannabe how-to videographers can learn a lot about the art of going viral from Phan. Her approachability and ease are inviting, while her creativity inspire beauty amateurs to go ahead and try this at home.

Blaine and Phan are not exceptions to the rules of online how-to video success. Any business of any size can help answer the questions of knowledge seekers with creative videos and shrewd social media integration.

Now it’s your turn to tell us “how-to.” Readers, what videos do you love to learn from? And if you need something to watch, tune into the Brandsplat video report every week right here!

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers demo videos with a demo of an iPhone fix, Starbucks and social media advertising  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers sometimesdaily.com, FloTV, Asian re-enactments, and Facebook’s Leanback. We finally let Enzo out of Los Angeles -  this week he’s on location in Big Sur!  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

Where television ends and where viral videos begin gets harder to determine everyday. TV is using viral video to promote new television shows, while videos are about to be viewed the same way we watch regular television. This week saw the lines between TV and online videos become even blurrier thanks to Google, Oprah and the Muppets.

Google released sneak-peaks into its first retail product, a small receiver box for the much-hyped Google TV. Google TV is the latest in the company’s global media empire. Partnered with Dish Network, the box functions as a gateway to the Internet. Using a traditional remote, the box will pull up your favorite YouTube videos, including your custom-made playlist as well as your email, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The little box may not be much to look at, but the power it wields could open a new world for those looking to bridge the gap between television and the Internet. The exclusive pairing between Google and Dish is set to launch this fall; per usual, exact details on when and how much Google TV will cost are still as vague as every other upcoming Google product.

She may be saying goodbye to hosting daytime television, but Oprah Winfrey isn’t going away. Her OWN (that’s the Oprah Winfrey Network) is set to launch in 2012 so O already is on the hunt for the next TV superstar. Oprah made a video of her own asking viewers to send in audition tapes while America gets to vote. As with all things La Winfrey, some utter hysteria has already erupted over the contest, despite the fact that it isn’t even halfway over. Millions and millions of folks have voted and fan favorites are already established. Zach Anner‘s fans made a stink this week when his numbers dropped, citing a conspiracy to force him to lose. (Anner is a contender with cerebral palsy and a very funny audition video.) The Anner-maniacs have even said that people at OWN have intentionally sabotaged his numbers because “Oprah doesn’t like handicapped” people. Scary No. 1 fan behavior aside, it all proves the point that videos can sell everything. Even people we don’t know.

Lastly, online videos can bring old brands from television back to life. Jim Henson’s Muppets have experienced a bump in popularity over the last few years, thanks to a series of viral videos. The even has a new movie in the works. The latest video, a staring contest between Animal and the drummer from OK Go, is Muppet gold. And a reminder that the classics can live forever, thanks to viral video.

Ding! Ding! Cashing in on the current food truck craze while appealing to our sentimental summer memories, some of the most popular purveyors of frozen treats have revived the old school ice cream truck by using social media, online marketing and viral videos.

If ice cream were hip-hop then Good Humor would be the Grandmaster Flash of the dessert world. Good Humor has been the original gangster of on-the-go ice cream since 1920. The company is credited not only for coming up with the idea of the ice cream truck that we recognize today but also was the first company to put ice cream on a stick. So it is fitting that Good Humor is giving away thousands of dollars to lucky stick holders to celebrate its 90th year in business. Chasing the Good Humor Truck is the title of the Facebook page where users can share memories of Good Humor, vote for their favorite treats and get all the details on the 10,000 Winners Sweet Stakes. The contest encourages folks to woof down ice cream bars (like my personal fav, Strawberry Shortcake) in hopes of winning music downloads, t-shirts and $10,000 dollars. The sticks are stamped with “instant winner” messages along with codes to punch in online to so players can collect their goodies. Photos of the trucks from years gone by are on Good Humor’s website while new promotional Good Humor Trucks are making appearances at events all summer long.

Also having a b’day this summer is Dairy Queen’s Blizzard, which turns 25. DQ is knocking posers like the McFlurry in their proper place by pumping up the presence online and on the street. The Blizzard Mobile (or the BlizMo) is going across the U.S. handing out free goodies. Followers on Twitter can find out where the next stop on the tour is while the Facebook page has the deets on coupons and tips on how to win free Blizzards. Facebook also is being employed to RSVP to Blizzard birthday parties all over the states. The whole journey of the BlizMo is being captured on viral video and placed on DQ’s YouTube channel where viewers can see host Chad and other Dairy Queen friends on their soft-serve swirl of a road trip.

Both brands are wisely using social media to convince consumers to leave their houses and spend money. Sweet!

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers the Lakers vs. the Celtics, E3, brandjacking, domain names, Brandsplat’s Smokes and Booze Giveaway. Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers the great Smokes and Booze Giveaway, Bros Icing Bros, and a Toy Story/Google co-op branding effort.  Wait, what?!?  That’s right, I said Smokes and Booze Giveaway!!  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers Medseeks’s use of fake personas, digg.com’s loss of viewers and a Brandsplat newsletter giveaway.  Wait, what?…GIVEAWAY?  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids.

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers Facebook privacy issues and the QuitFacebookDay campaign, Diaspora on KickStarter and a  fancy new feature on Skype. Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids