So, you want to make a viral video?
Why not? It’s cheap. Easy. You can put it on YouTube and not have to pay for any media. Wishful thinking. Guess what? We don’t determine what becomes viral. The consumer does.
Creators, marketers, even YouTube itself are often surprised at what goes viral and what doesn’t. There’s no real formula or blueprint, and certainly no guarantee. Nevertheless, there are three things you can do to increase your chances. One of the teams at Mullen recently applied two of them to our Boston Bruins videos, which managed to generate 300,000 views on the first morning they hit the web, and over a million views during the next week of playoffs. Here they are.
1. Make it as funny and entertaining as possible.
Why? There are two fundamental reasons. For starters, in the opt-in world of YouTube, Vimeo or other similar sites, no one watches anything they don’t want to watch. Furthermore, no one’s going to pass something on unless they think it’s so good that it will earn them credit from friends and family for being the one who sent it. Given that the next interesting video is but a click away, no one has any patience. So capture their attention and capture it fast. Being outrageous, unexpected, provocative or hysterical are always good places to start.
2. Have a distribution plan.
If you think viral happens by itself, think again. The best efforts – from Elf Yourself to Cadbury’s gorilla – had smart, well thought out plans for how to seed the idea. In the case of the Boston Bruins film it started by finding people with lots of followers to post the spots on YouTube, Break.com and eBaum’s World. We targeted influencers — bloggers, Twitterati and online media – who we could generate lots of attention. Deadspin.com, the reigning king of sports blogs, Barstoolsports.com, and Hubhockey.com all jumped on the opportunity to turn their readers onto the campaign. The next thing we knew, word was out and spreading like wildfire.
3. Build in a meme
OK, admittedly, the team neglected to do this. But we should have. A meme is simply a way by which the consumer can add to, customize, or incorporate him or herself into a modified version of the original concept and pass it on. No matter how successful your viral video might be, if you leave room for the consumer to co-create with you, it becomes even more effective. We should have made it possible for fans to do their own victory dance and combine it with the bear doing it’s shuffle. No doubt that would have generated plenty of participation. Oh well, maybe we’ll add that next time.
What’s the best example of viral video you’ve seen recently? Did it take advantage of all three of these tactics?
Comments
Here's a nice animated video we recently launched on behalf of the Washington Area Women's Foundation:
http://www.youtube.com/bethatwoman
I think we covered points 1 and 2, and have been getting good response among our core audiences. we started with a local focus to garners press and donations and are going wider as we speak. Although "heartwarming" and "tear-jerking" don't seem to be catching on quite as fast as "hilarious" or "outrageous".
As for point 3, we're handling that in a second phase which will encourage viewers to respond with their personal stories of who's "been that woman" in their lives.
.-= Jim Lansburyu00c2u00b4s last blog ..the movement is catching on. =-.
The creation of a viral video has many aspects to it, some measures are successful where as others are not. If you want to find out information about how to create the perfect viral video, you should check out http://blog.gonogging.com.
With all this talk of co-creation, the definition of viral and the idea behind memes, it sounds like Alex Wipperfurth, the author of Brand Hijack, was dead-on back when he wrote that book. His contention is that a brand can become successful with very little traditional advertising and with a commitment by the brand and ad agency to let the consumer take over. And that's what the best viral videos do--they don't force anything, they just present themselves and let people join in on the fun.
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Dylan,
Thanks for the thorough and thoughtful comment. Perhaps there's a semantic issue. The meme is what gets created, but a marketer can create something that inspires it. And yes, they may lose control over both the content and the story, but perhaps what they get back in the possible inspiration of participation is worth it. There are lots of slightly different definitions of viral and story telling. But the one thing that is clear is how important the role of the user is. They are who make it viral, they are who create the meme, and they are the ones you want writing your brand's story.
I'd like to address Mike's 4th point and your point on memes, Edward.
Mike: They call them viral for a reason. To follow the metaphor all the way through: we catch a cold, share it, and eventually move on from it. I understand the intent behind creating a story, but be aware of what that does to the definition of what we're discussing.
When you prolong the shelf life to that point you're simply creating content people return to week after week. That's what's known as a television series, not a viral video. By that essence, viral videos are stars that burn as fast as they are brilliant. There's nothing wrong with television series, when they're great, they're loved and go on for multiple seasons and become part of people's childhood, etc. If a brand can achieve this with their story through online videos in a non-contrived way (as it is inevitably persuading some action) more power to it. However, we need to keep the labels clear in that respect. The story only continues through memes--which leads me to my next point.
Edward: Memes are what continue your story and prolong its shelf life. They are powered by the essence of a video which has gone viral through its ability in your aforementioned points.
Take the original dramatic chipmunk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8of00uEVRRA
Now take starwars chipmunk:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiloZd1H4ow&fea...
and dr. evil chipmunk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBRI3iHmLys&fea...
and bond chipmunk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uaw2CdjU3c&fea...
All of those stem from the original which is just a clip from a japanese TV show someone took out of context and uploaded it for its quirky entertainment. No one asked these people to reinterpret the original into their own meme--they were compelled by creativity and the idea itself. It's not that a meme was built in, a meme exists in and of itself--it's a force of creative nature bestowed upon the viewer.
That said, if the bruins video sparked something beyond its content inside the viewer the result can be unexpected---Bruins Bear meets Conan's Masturbating Bear (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FU2l-XU5cg), perhaps? You can't count on the brand story being maintained in that instance. And that's the thing about memes, they are an unpredictable transformation of the content--they create something entirely new. In some cases the meme becomes more popular than the original, and then memes become a meme of a meme. This only furthers things lost in translation.
What you want isn't a meme, but co-creation in a focused sense. One that gives people specific tools and a path beaten by the brand message. That is much different from the wildness of a meme.
Ultimately, when it comes to making a viral video--you can't. There's no such thing as making a viral video--you can only make a video which has the potential to go viral. In other words, "Viral" is a state of achievement.
Congrats on your viral achievement, Edward. I know I passed it along.
So glad you discussed the idea of memes! I agree with you that at the very least they are co-created. I've been spending a lot of time reading/researching/thinking about memes recently. I should probably start putting some of it down on paper, but I feel like I might accidentally write a book instead of a blog post - there is just so much to say about them.
Also, very glad to see the Bruins spots are a success. Got to see them before they were released when Mr. Larkin came to talk at Suffolk and they had the whole class laughing.
Mike:
Thanks. Looking at Bruins from your perspective, would say: 1. They don't suck. 2. Joy and surprise. 3. Spectacle may have been the playoffs themselves. 4. Story that could be retold in "Did you see the (bland) in which (blank) happened. 5. Goes with number one, yes? But thanks for this. Hoping it will help readers elevate their own self evaluation.
Tim Street did a great preso on this topic at the last New Marketing Summit. His keys:
"1. Don't Suck - Sure it's easy for me to say that but sometimes it's hard to understand if your videos suck. People don't want to admit they have an ugly baby and people that know you aren't going to tell you that your child could cause someone to gag choke and die.
2. Move Two or More Human Emotions - Examine any viral video and depending on who you are you will find that it moves two or more human emotions. What are those emotions? The Primary Emotions are: Love, Joy, Surprise, Anger, Sadness and Fear. Combining any two or more of them will get you views.
3. Have Spectacle - I written before about how according to Hollywood screenplay guru Robert McKee, when ever there is an advance in entertainment "spectacle" comes first then "story." So go use the search box and to find some ideas for a great spectacle that will fit into your online video because you are still going to need spectacle if you want to get millions of views of your Internet video.
4. Have Story - We are slowly moving into "story" in the evolution of online video as a form of entertainment and if you want your online video to have shelf life make sure it has a story element to it. Two years from now fewer and fewer people will be watching the Star Wars Kid on a daily basis.
5. Have Talent - I can give you these secret ingredients but you may just not know how to cook. You may not have the talent or the vision to see what emotions are in a script when you read it. There are people that are tone deaf and I think there are also people who can't hear or see when something just "works" or doesn't work. Talented people have little voices that tell them when something "works" or doesn't work. Talented people know when they need to do better."
From: http://onlinevideopublishing.com/2009/03/19/1timst...
Michael Troiano (@miketrap)u00e2u0080u0099s last blog post..Pepsi Has Its Act Together
Stuart and Seth:
No one's talked yet about social bookmarking and to what extent that can help in seeding and spreading. I'm big believer that content drives everything, so first and foremost it has to be something people care about. Second, from a marketer's perspective, the people who care should be people you want to connect with or who are likely to matter to you. There are plenty of videos from brands that get embraced by people who will never become customers or buy your product. But like anything else, there becomes a point at which things really take off. Pushing a viral idea toward that is a good thing. See Bonnie Bassler at http:www.ted.com talk about how bacteria and viruses (the real ones) spread in our bodies, waiting until they reach critical mass before releasing their power, and you get an interesting parallel.
"Kiwi"
Original with 22million+ views
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs
#1. It's not funny, but it is entertaining and makes a clear point. The first 60 seconds pull the viewer more deeply into the video by asking simple questions. What are those silly-looking feet attached to? What is the bird trying to pull? What's it tying off? What is it nailing to the cliff? etc. By ending before the bird "lands" at the end, the viewer is left with a need for closure...which is nicely fixed by sending the video to a friend or two.
#2. I'm not sure of a distribution plan for this one. I'd venture that the more "college humor" a video is, the more it'll need an orchestrated push. Of course, if there's a tight schedule to be met then an engaged network of power users in social media is always handy.
#3. Kiwi was meme-friendly in two ways. First, it's possible to replace an element, the soundtrack, and maintain the clarity of the original video: The "Mad World" version 3million+ views http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0G9vDKcdLg Second, the simple lack of an ending to the video invited creative types to add their own ending: Re: Kiwi! (an ending) with 1million+ views http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2SnDB_orzQ
For the hockey video, I don't see the victory dance happening. Perhaps introduce a few different voice-over versions of the video and let viewers know where they can grab the video to add their own audio? (I know, I know. Seeding memes=evil) The download location also offers another chance to connect with and convert viewers into something more long-term.
@Stuart, It'd be very interesting to see the pre-production diagram they drew up for this video, yeah? "Show customers that we're a furniture store that knows how to deal with uncomfortable things. Be they choosing and moving couches or working through racial tensions"...mayhem ensues. =)
The best example I have seen of a viral video recently was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnOyMSEWNTs
Ridiculous, poor production values, and a carefully coordinated message (albeit one that made no sense).
The interesting part? It was actually coordinated by a rhettandlink.com who love to go into small businesses and just do ridiculous things. No meme really built into it...but I think a meme has to happen naturally and can't be a call to action.
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