What is a Viral Video?
The term ‘viral marketing’ devised by Steve Jurvertson in 1997 has become an exceptionally powerful internet buzz-word (Grifoni, 2013).By using social media to their advantage, brands can spread a message to thousands, or even millions of people in a matter of hours. It is simply the ‘spread of an idea’ (Ciotti, 2013) and has been described as ‘creating a buzz’, ‘leveraging the media’, and ‘networking marketing’ (Wilson, 2013). Viral videos play an integral part in the sale of products, the opinion consumers may have on particular brands, and more recently, providing information on health conditions and charities.
Examining the definition of viral marketing isn’t necessarily a simple task, as various interpretations have been discussed. Put simply, viral marketing is the broadcasting of a message which is shared multiple times, attracting numerous views.
What makes a video go viral?
Johan Berger and Katherine Milkman published a joint-paper titled ‘What Makes Online Content Go Viral?’, in which they proposed three elements:
1. Positive content, dwelling on positive issues or topics.
2. Evoking strong emotional reactions. E.g. Fear, joy, anger, etc.
3. It was practically useful.
Additionally, in Berger’s book ‘Contagious: Why Things Catch On’, he outlined a more comprehensive system, including the headlines (i) social currency, (ii) triggers, (iii) emotion, (iv) public, (v) practical, and (vi) stories; all of which expand on the above 3 elements.
Perhaps the most comprehensive of all is that of Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, a pioneer of internet marketing and e-business, in which he adopts a six-stage strategy:
1. Gives away products of services
2. Provides for effortless transfer to others
3. Scales easily from small to very large
4. Exploits common motivations and behaviours
5. Utilises existing communication networks
6. Takes advantage of others’ resources
Viral Marketing Examples
Below are a few examples of brands using successful viral marketing techniques, bearing in mind the above suggestions; some gaining millions of views on YouTube, whilst also taking account of other video sharing platforms.
GoPro
This video simply shows a fireman rescuing a kitten, all recorded with a GoPro camera. As a starting point, this video evokes human emotion, in keeping with Berger’s system. However, GoPro have been extremely clever, as this is the perfect opportunity to market their camera, whilst putting out content which is likely to be shared numerous times.
Air New Zealand
To celebrate the release of The Hobbit film, Air New Zealand released this safety briefing, whilst at the same time gaining 12.3 million views. Upon this success, and to celebrate the final movie, they released ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made‘, gaining over 13.1 million views. Not only does this make use of others’ resources, as Dr. Wilson suggests, it includes positive content, as listed by Berger and Milkman.
LG Elevator Prank
In an attempt to promote its new ‘lifelike’ features, LG released this YouTube video, securing over 22.9 million views. Since the success of this video, LG have filmed numerous videos, including ‘Ultra Reality: What would you do in this situation?‘
Evian (Baby and Me)
With over 96 million views, this is arguably one of the most successful attempts at viral video marketing out there. A multi-faceted campaign including an app for users to create their own baby image caused this to be a huge triumph. By evoking emotion, publishing positive content (Berger and Milkman, 2011) , and utilising existing communication networks (Wilson, 2005), this video has paved the way for others to follow in its exceptionally clever marketing tactics.
Always #LikeAGirl
With the rise of feminism and gender equality in the media during 2014, the Always #LikeAGirl campaign has gained over 53.3 million views on YouTube. With the clever use of the hashtag (Patel, 2015), this campaign has also earned success on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, amongst other platforms.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Finally, by getting celebrities involved, viral videos can take on a whole new found fame, so to speak. This video by Anthony Carbajal a man recently diagnosed with ALS , was both hard-hitting and very important. Gaining over 1.7 million views on YouTube alone, with over 2.4 million videos uploaded to Facebook (BBC News), the campaign raised over $98.2 million for the ALS Association (US) and £2.7 million to the MND Association (UK). For what it’s worth, I would say that this illustrates a viral video at its best, both raising awareness and funds for a lesser known cause.
Finally, what not to do…
Microsoft
Perhaps the most exciting part of this video is the comments, including ‘I just threw up in my mouth’ and ‘Epic fail’. Not just is it awful and awkward to watch, it completely missed the mark when attempting to promote the brand in a serious manner.
A viral video can build a brand up as fast as it can knock it down (Brooks, 2012), and with social networks, word-of-mouth now spreads at the speed of thought (Ferguson, 2010). However, Kate Cooper, Managing Director at Bloom Worldwide, says “No brand should be putting together online content purely with the goal of going viral… It’s too hit and miss.’ With traditional marketing techniques becoming less appealing, digital communication most definitely is something for your to consider (Chen, 2014), should you think your brand can benefit from it. After all, the way in which people communicate has completely changed. By utilising viral marketing techniques brands can reach their consumers imaginations, creativity, and interactivity (Kalpaklioglu and Toros, 2011).
References:
Botha, E. and Reyneke, M. (2013). To share or not to share: the role of content and emotion in viral marketing. Journal of Public Affairs, 13(2), 160 – 171.
Chen, T. (2014). Why do we share?. Journal of advertising research. 10 (4).
Ciotti, G. (2013). A Scientific Take on Viral Marketing (with 7 Classic Examples). [Online] Help Scout. Available at: https://www.helpscout.net/blog/viral-marketing/ [Accessed 15 March 2015].
Crimmons, L. (2014). The Top Viral Marketing Campaigns of All Time. [Online] Available at: https://www.branded3.com/blog/the-top-10-viral-marketing-campaigns-of-all time [Accessed 16 March 2015].
Evans, B. (2013). The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribewise.com/blog/bid/359393/Viral-Marketing-The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Ugly [Accessed 16 March 2015].
Ferguson, R. (2008). Word-of-Mouth and Viral Marketing: Taking the Temperature of the Hottest Trends in Marketing. Journal of Consumer Marketing. 25(3), 179-183.
Fox, J. (2010) The 5 Most Awful Viral Video ads of 2009. [Online] Available at: http://onemarketmedia.com/2010/01/13/the-5-most-awful-viral-video-ads-of-2009/ [Accessed 16 March 2015].
Grifoni, P., D’Andrea, A., & Ferri, F. (2013). An Integrated Framework for On-Line Viral Marketing Campaign Planning. International Business Research. 6(1), 22-30.
Kalpaklioglu, N., & Toros, N. (2011). Viral Marketing Techniques with Online Social Network. Journal of Yasar University. 6(24), 4112-4129.
Wilson, R. (2000). The six simple principles of viral marketing. Web Marketing Today, 70(1).