Viral Video - The Virtual Unicorn - PHD's Aimee Duell - MediaBizBlogger

Everyone dreams of fame Kids adults we all dream of being famous at some point in our lives What else would explain the yearoveryear ratings increase of quotAmerican Idolquot and the massive preponderance of reality shows that catapult the everyman into fame within minutesOkay great so we all want the 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol anticipated we39d receive back in the late 3960s This was a tall order until the rise of usergenerated video and a little site called YouTube came along to facilitate the dreamThe idea that you can mix Coke ampamp Mentos on camera unleash an explosive and dazzling chemical reaction and garner millions of views potential talent agency representation AND brands wanting to partner with you is well it is the virtual unicornIt39s something we all have heard about something we secretly believe exists and something we all desperately want to find brands includedBrands are committed to harnessing virtual unicorns and the intoxicating free media that they bring They see viral video as innovative farreaching and culturecreating all while being virtually free to produceThe de facto belief is that you sink minimal budget into production crank out a funny or shocking video and then you39re off to the races It39s quotviral videoquot right Millions are bound to watch it pass it along comment on it rate it etcThis idea gets sold daily More than likely it39s the client who requests that you quotmake video go viralquot But let39s dispel the myth viral video is simply original or repurposed digital content that happens to tap into the cultural zeitgeist resulting in millions of views This is something that cannot be planned predicted controlled or guaranteedLet39s consider a few realworld examples A stillamazing example of getting it right is Nike39s OMG depiction of Kobe Bryant39s apparent jump over an Aston Martin Whether he did or didn39t jump that car is still debated This video reinforces important associations for Nike amp8211 exhilaration and inspiration amp8211 and is therefore consistent with the brand39s DNAAnother classic example amp8211 a video that was intended for TVonly but which was carried onto the web presumably by fans amp8211 is the Cadbury Gorilla This video is utterly confusing and unforgettable It works for Cadbury because it is kooky fun and because it is a powerful expression of delight And candy is delightfulBut now for some attempts at virulence gone awryamp8230 quotCelebrity Apprenticequot devoted an entire episode this past season to the pursuit of viral videos The teams were charged with creating one for All39s Small and Mighty What resulted were two videos so bad they only aired in the show and were never released online In fact they are almost impossible to find online Why were they so bad They were short had low production value and were funny or shocking However they weren39t endemic to that brand All is a detergent that generally speaks to moms about cleaning clothes In the chase of the virtual unicorn they abandoned authentic brand values for midgets scrubbing a dirtcaked Jesse JamesI submit that we in the agency world are doing ourselves a disservice in attempting to sell original digital content under the guise of a quotviral videoquot We owe it to brands and consumers alike not to tarnish the experience of enjoying original digital content by desperately trying to stretch all webbased video communications into the realm of the meme Not every brand can be the prankster or the comedian Be true to what you are While we should absolutely help our clients to break free from tired or outdated advertising models such efforts should always be strategic they must be tailored to clear wellthoughtout objectives and targetinsightsBe smart with your dollars and create entertaining or educational content that will connect in meaningful but understandable ways with your consumers Support these efforts with a dedicated distribution strategy that harnesses the power of social media allow for optimization and track track trackDon39t chase the virtual unicornAimee Duell SVP US Director of Activation at PHD Media a Division of Omnicom You can follow Aimee acduellRead all Aimeeamp8217s MediaBizBlogger commentaries at PHD Perspectives MediaBizBlogger

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Viral Video - The Virtual Unicorn - PHD's Aimee Duell - MediaBizBlogger

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