Viral videos are something ever PR/Marketing person dreams about or has nightmares. When done right a viral video markets itself and spreads your message like no other. On the downside if that message is something you don’t want spread a viral video can be worst enemy.
There are many reasons a video you make could go viral. I like to keep things simple and always try to point out the top 5 or so reasons that a something happened. Sure there maybe 100 reasons something happened but people can usually digest no more than 5.
None of these facts are set in stone, there are always videos that ‘buck’ the rules and become huge hits. See the dramatic gopher to the left. But in on the average we can boil down successful videos to a few key elements.
Message:
A video with out a message is like an email with just a subject line. Sure you will get people to look at it but you won’t keep their attention or get them to pass it on. Your video needs to have a reason to watch it, something that people will want to share.
Hook:
While message is important for a video to go viral it needs a hook. If its Gary Van-Ner-Chuck at Wine Library TV or “will it blend?” your video needs a hook. Something that will get people to pass it along.
Quick:
Almost every viral video out there is quick. No video that that takes 30 minutes to watch is ever going to be a viral hit. Most people watching these videos are sitting at their desk trying to see the entire video before their boss walks by.
Accessible:
If you want your video to go viral you have to make it accessible to everyone and everyone. Host it on as many video sites as possible and let people share it. Create a lower quality version for email and a high quality version for websites. If people can’t find it they will never pass it along.
Fun:
While I can’t define what is per say, I can say that most of the videos I pass along to my friends are fun in some way. They may be clever, funny or even sad, but they have something that makes me want to watch them.
Making a video go viral is not an exact science. There are some tips and tricks but they are not guaranteed to give you the results you want. The most important thing about making a video go viral is don’t expect it. If the video becomes a hit great, if not keep your head up and camera rolling.
Ok, I understand the markets in Europe is a different thing, I get that. To be honest I can’t see how this is effective marketing anywhere. I simply can’t find a way to justify this for selling soda.
I am all for taking risks when it comes to marketing. I think being creative is a great way to get your product or brand noticed but at some level all of your messaging should come back to what you are trying to say about your product. From what I can gather from this TV spot Orangina is about Puck like animals and adult entertainment.
After a quick stop to the Orangina website I found out there is an entire campaign dedicated to this Island of Dr. Monreau. I understand that in French ‘Its Pulpy’ has a double meaning, but that double meaning doesn’t make me want to buy soda.
If you visit the Orangina website you can see that the Animal Island theme is part of a HUGE cross platform promotion including; events, street teams, and probably one of the coolest websites I have ever seen. While I have spent a good deal of time in Europe I must reiterate, I am not Orangina’s target market.
I am however aware of the immense popularity of Orangina in Europe and can’t argue with the fact that they must be doing something right. If you notice in the YouTube video the spot we have highlighted is the UK version of the commercial and has the tag line ‘Its Juicey.” Not quite the double entendre of the French saying but still good.
Orangina has yet to crack the US market when it comes to popularity. I think the company has great brand equity and amazing loyalties, but US consumers are not subject to any of their marketing tactics. If Orangina was to try and make a push into the US market what would you suggest?
I would suggest a good street team campaign based in some of the major cities coupled with a good partnership at a food chain restaurant like Baja Fresh or another a-typical restaurant.
What are your suggestions? Have you ever tried Orangina? I would love to hear how you would help Orangina gain market share in the US.
Legos are amazing. I doubt I’m in the minority when I say that I spend at least a third of my childhood playing with Legos. Building tanks, spaceships, animals, robots, weapons, teams, castles, bases and much much more. Lego allowed me to cross that imaginary world I loved with the real world I was in.
I think the real amazing thing about Legos is their ability to constantly evolve and adapt to changes in the industry. Whether it be technological leaps in communications technology, or a change of direction in youth toys and play structure. During my childhood, Legos were just the blocks I built a new reality out of. As I’ve aged they have moved in a number of new directions, some successful and others not as much.
They’ve expanded to LegoLand theme parks, cartoons, books, and their most recent staple - video games. The key behind Lego’s success is their desire to try new things. They’ll put themselves out there in new ways, see what works and what doesn’t and react accordingly. They take risks (smart well researched risks) and they are repeatedly rewarded for it.
If you allow Lego to inspire you in only one way, let it be their spirit to proactively embrace change. Take notice of the way the marketplace is moving and try new things to secure your spot in that new market. Don’t become the deer and freeze in the headlights of a changing economy. Adapt and maneuver in a smart proactive manner and succeed.
All this talk about social media we sometimes forget that marketing in the physical world has its own merits. One of the things that marketing has always tried to do was get people to talking about your product. Monday Night football is no different.
I saw this ad when I was coming out of the Metro at Van Ness. The ad caught my eye because I saw a couple of people standing face to face chatting football while touching the ad. Hello marketing success. People were engaged by your advertisement and being social around your subject matter.
I think this is something that advertisers forget sometimes. When working on being social they forget that their ad doesn’t have to be social to achieve its goal. Sometimes good ‘old fashion’ advertisements can create a social buzz as quickly as something on YouTube.
Have you seen any advertisements that really caught your eye or got you to stop and stare? Do you like the ESPN ad pictured above or do you think it doesn’t present you with enough information? Let me know.
Yesterday I was complaining about my Firefox. See, Firefox was failing to keep my cookies and forcing me to re-sign in to all me accounts. Not a HUGE problem but annoying enough to make me a little upset. I posted my disdain on my twitter feed and let my anger subside.
A few hours later I received a reply from a team member at the Firefox team telling me what I needed to do to fix my cookie problem. Sure enough I used the tip that was suggested and my Firefox problem has been solved.
Of course I am happy to see my problem fixed, but I think the twitter help is an excellent example of my mantra “turning action into voice.” By providing help in a public forum Firefox is actually helping promote their brand and create brand equity.
I am a loyal Firefox user, I think Firefox is worried about losing some of us market share to newer more tech savvy browsers. Using the tools that Firefox’s users use is a good way to remain top of mind with its user base. I think other companies can benefit from Mozilla’s example.
Imagine if Kodak began looking at people’s Flickr accounts and telling them how best to print their digital photos or what they could do to improve the shot. What if your local grocer started tweeting you specials that could help you prepare dinner tonight? The idea is this: find the best way to get your message out there and keep putting it out.
Do you have any other examples of companies trying to reach you with a solution before you reached them with a problem? Do you think that combining customer support and marketing is a good idea? Let me know.
