What can we learn from a sea otter? Quite a lot, as it happens. Nyac, one of the Vancouver Aquarium’s most famous residents died today. The otter took the world by storm, first as a survivor of the Exxon Valdez disaster, and later as an Internet phenom. If you haven’t seen her blockbuster YouTube video, you must. It’s been viewed more than 11 million times.

The team at Vancouver Aquarium is understandably heart-broken and in Nyac’s memory they have created a tribute video. They are using social media so intelligently and with such sensitivity. They are an inspiration. As was Nyac – what a life story.

In the United States a 71-year-old presidential candidate has made YouTube part of his campaign strategy. His competitor achieved YouTube stardom last year with a renegade music video created by supporters rather than political operatives.

If Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have turned to YouTube a crucial part of their market outreach – what about you? Shouldn’t YouTube be part of your branding strategy?

It’s easy to overlook YouTube as a quirky entertainment phenomenon. But make no mistake about it, web video is radically changing the landscape for marketers of all kinds: corporate, not-for-profit, causes & activists, and political campaign teams alike.

Right now most marketers and communicators are still absorbing the astounding reality that you can video broadcast whatever you like, whenever you like, to a mass audience for a pretty reasonable sum of money. This is a mind-boggling reality. This power is almost dizzying. No offence to the TV networks out there, but we really don’t need you like we used to.

But…be forewearned…this ability to broadcast brings with it enormous responsibility. You don’t want to contribute to that unfortunate, desperate mass of video content that is bypassed for being boring or pointless.

That’s why the secret of success in this YouTube era is to focus in on great storytelling. Use the people on your team who understand how to weave a compelling tale (in writing and on video). And listen when they tell you: “No we can’t do that, it’s too schmaltzy.” Or, “I really don’t think we have a story here.” Or, “If we want people to understand, we have to use words and images they relate to.”

If you start and end with honest-to-goodness storytelling and a strong journalistic style, YouTube can and should be a central part of any brand strategy.

P.S. A final note: Malcolm Gladwell is using YouTube too (indirectly and directly) and we’re pretty sure he knows a thing or two about how to tip the marketing see-saw.

*Side note. By the way, your 17-year-old has now been sitting at his computer for 22 hours straight. He is simultaneously watching a skit from Saturday Night Live and a short lesson on how to apply for college. Both on YouTube. Oh yes. This is the way of the future.