50 Ways to Make it Viral

Well I won't name them all, but I can give you 5 ways viral videos become successful.

                                                           It's because of content like this
        

And this

And of course...

So can brands really create campaign videos with the same effective level of "virability" as these?

It has been done, tried, successfully completed, and failed miserably by a number of companies that have attempted to jump on the viral video bandwagon.  So, yes it is possible since it has been done.  However, when is it a truly helpful or hindering aspect to an ad campaign?

Having advertising concepts drilled into my head, I tend to enjoy looking at top companies latest ad campaigns.  Recently one in particular caught my attention, SoBe's campaign for its Natural Fruit Elixirs on its website.  Basically, SoBe has come up with "personalities" for each flavor of Elixir in the line of products.  Each of these personalities have a corresponding video, with testimonials of people trying and describing the particular drink.  Basically, they show the people who emulate the personality of the drink as well as the laid-back Californian lifestyle of the brand.  This is, however, where the videos begin and end.  I immediately thought of how they have the potential to create a viral video presence, but are not connecting to the right outlets to do it.

I then found this article on Mashable.com and a scholarly article from the Kent Academic Repository, both agreeing that there are five main types of viral marketing factors that make or break an attempt at a viral marketing campaign.

Both articles also agree that, "The rapid diffusion of the Internet and the emergence of various social constructs facilitated by Internet technologies are changing the drivers that define how marketing techniques are developed and refined."

To put it in plain English:

1.  Look beyond celebrity endorsers and obvious influencers.  Brands can benefit from word-of-mouth advertising and a large spread across social media sites rather than simply putting it on TV.

2.  Make a "social object".  Even if the person loves the brand or product, it does not mean they want to be sold to.  As with the SoBe drink videos, it is too obvious that they only used what supported and sold their product.  Instead, there should be an element of conversation for two people, or social object, that drives the connection and sharing around the brand solely based on hitting a person's interests.

3.  Use a brand pulsing strategy.  The brand should be integrated throughout the video content, rather than the driving force.  Find the sweet spot between the brand's positioning and its humor or attention-grabbing factors.

4.  Timing is everything.  If the video is too short or too long, people are less likely to share it.  The shorter one may not grab the attention of the audience, while the longer one can bore people and over-do the joke or point.

5.  Use the right mix of social media.  As for SoBe, there was a limited, seemingly nonexistent presence of the videos on any other website.  The company has pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, yet fails to utilize these to display or promote their videos.  The right mix can help spread the likelihood someone will share the video, increasing its "virability."

Source:  Woerdl, M. and Papagiannidis, S. and Bourlakis, M. and Li, F. (2008) Internet-Induced Marketing Techniques: Critical Factors in Viral Marketing Campaigns. Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, 3 (1). pp. 35-45. ISSN 1753-0296.