Will it go V I R A L ???

[Jon Fairhurst]

Here's our recent attempt. (Shot with a GS500, BTW.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KpniP6IhV4

So, aside from having an address book of a million e-mail addresses, what are the essential elements of a viral video?

[Giroud Francois]

viral means self pushed to audience.
it must be spectacular while it can be simple (the mentos/coca experiment, the pixel page advertising), so it is easy to place in news, newspaper, blog, conversation, and will spread that way.
I think it must be fun or even silly or useless (some wazuup ads), people do not like serious things.
it can be difficult to reproduce (unique) while many people would love to try , or in the contrary, it would be really easy to do , while not many will do (they will just watch it).
it must be related to something, the sequel , the trace of something bigger or already well known.
it can be based on expression taken from a song, movie, interview for example . But you need some root in the real world, so you can switch from the real, serious thing to the fun, silly thing.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Giroud,

This is good food for thought.

One realization that we had is that a viral video isn't what you want to see. It's what you want your friends to see. The "big scream at the end" videos are examples.

And, yes, some are spectacular, like mentos/cola. And some are just mean or gross.

Some, Like LonelyGirl15 are about voyeurism. We want to see other people's souls (especially if they are attractive).

Fun and silly are probably the most important. What else would explain this one? http://youtube.com/watch?v=3g-yrjh58ms (Don't bother playing 'til the end. It just stops dancing when the music starts.)

And maybe it's just "cute", like this one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno

My friend says that our video is "too smart". I think the problem might be that we expect people to be able to read. :)

So, anybody here have anything go viral? What strategies did you use?

[John Hudson]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

So, aside from having an address book of a million e-mail addresses, what are the essential elements of a viral video?

It can't suck, for starters.

[Michael Pulcinella]

I don't think viral can be planned. These things happen by accident, it can't be predicted. It's a phenominon.

As soon as you attempt to create a viral video it becomes phony and forced. It's like trying to make a catchphrase take off. Remember "It's casual"? Of course you don't. That was the forced catchphrase from the sequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. They tried for an entire summer to make that stick and it never did.

My advice would be to concentrate on making short videos that make YOU laugh, then release them out into the world. If they are destined to go viral they will.

One reason this vid might not go viral IMO is that it takes too long. I almost gave up on it halfway through. It is mildly humorous but not hilarious. It also assumes a universal distaste for YouTube which I do not share. Yes, YouTube has it's drawbacks, but I think most people like it just fine and enjoy the wealth of material out there, as well as the crap. Your vid assumes it will tap into a negative YouTube feeling that I just don't think exists in the numbers you expect.

[Liam Hall]

Originally Posted by Michael Pulcinella

I don't think viral can be planned. These things happen by accident, it can't be predicted. It's a phenominon.

So, Ford, Budwiser, BMW and many dotcoms that I've long since forgotton must be wrong, along with the many digital agencies who specialise in that sort of thing.

Virals can be and often are, planned. Yes, they can be predicted and no, they are not a phenomenon.

I know this, because I've made several.

Liam.

[Michael Pulcinella]

Originally Posted by Liam Hall

So, Ford, Budwiser, BMW and many dotcoms that I've long since forgotton must be wrong, along with the many digital agencies who specialise in that sort of thing.

Virals can be and often are, planned. Yes, they can be predicted and no, they are not a phenomenon.

I know this, because I've made several.

Liam.

So are you the guy who made the baby panda sneeze and taught the dog to ride a skateboard??

But seriously, what are some of the viral vids you've created?

What would you estimate is the ratio of attempts to successes? I'm not talking about "popular" or "most viewed" videos, but the truly viral ones that EVERYONE has seen?

[Ben Winter]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

Here's our recent attempt. (Shot with a GS500, BTW.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KpniP6IhV4

So, aside from having an address book of a million e-mail addresses, what are the essential elements of a viral video?

I'm not sure I get the humor in this. Am I just not smart enough? :)

A great example of a viral video is the "What What (In the Butt)" music video by Samwell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU
It's racy, daring, and controversial. He's gone from being a nobody to a star because of it, and after two months has almost two million views. Yours is...a nature slideshow?

[Alex Sprinkle]

I enjoyed your video, man. I wish I had the formula for making a viral video, but I can't figure it out. Some of my videos have over 14K views in a matter of a week on livevideo, but yet only have 250 on youtube, wherein some of my other LV videos that I actually spent a lot of time on have like 300 views. Lonelygirl, boh3m3, and renetto drive me crazy because I personally hate vlogs (most of them, anyway). Why are THOSE popular, though? No idea. They're stupid.

[Liam Hall]

Originally Posted by Michael Pulcinella

So are you the guy who made the baby panda sneeze and taught the dog to ride a skateboard??

But seriously, what are some of the viral vids you've created?

Mine are too rubbish to mention. They fall foul of "Viral Rule Number One", as John pointed out, "they can't suck".

I've got a mate who is creative director at a digital advertising agency and they do this sort of thing all the time. Sometimes they make a traditional style ad that might be a bit risky for telly or break the normal advertising rules on taste and decency or the viral might just be a URL linking to website with a game or something so clever or entertaining you'll want to pass it on.

The most successful virals will have some sort of shock factor usually using comedy, nudity, pain or debauchery and quite often the creators of the piece will deny any involvement; Ford Ka, "Cat" and "Bird", and Volkswagen's, "Terrorist" are classic examples of virals where the makers denied culpability.

I guess the key with virals, like any form of advertising is to know your audience then go for a high impact idea. Simple... ...well not really.

Cheers,

Liam.

[Michael Pulcinella]

Originally Posted by Liam Hall

Mine are too rubbish to mention. They fall foul of "Viral Rule Number One", as John pointed out, "they can't suck".

I've got a mate who is creative director at a digital advertising agency and they do this sort of thing all the time. Sometimes they make a traditional style ad that might be a bit risky for telly or break the normal advertising rules on taste and decency or the viral might just be a URL linking to website with a game or something so clever or entertaining you'll want to pass it on.

The most successful virals will have some sort of shock factor usually using comedy, nudity, pain or debauchery and quite often the creators of the piece will deny any involvement; Ford Ka, "Cat" and "Bird", and Volkswagen's, "Terrorist" are classic examples of virals where the makers denied culpability.

I guess the key with virals, like any form of advertising is to know your audience then go for a high impact idea. Simple... ...well not really.

Cheers,

Liam.

I stand by my earlier post. It sounds to me like there is an "X" factor to a viral vid that even the best can't always figure out.