Viral Videos -- Can Cell Phones Pop Popcorn?
With news of another study that claims cell phones are hazardous to your health, it’s no wonder that this video recently went viral.
It had all the appearances of (and what marketers want most) authenticity. It had relatively low production values, an international group of normal looking twenty-somethings, and no product placements.
But in truth, it was all a hoax.
It was produced by Cardo Systems to draw attention to its Bluetooth headsets. The CEO claimed it was meant to be entertaining, not a way to scare people into buying its products. (Though I do wonder if they are doing more harm than good by reinforcing fears.)
The results – tons of hits on the Web. I admit it. It worked. I was duped. It played on my inner fears, even though there is no definitive evidence that cell phone usage causes cancer.
I am still debating about whether I liked being duped. But I have to give Cardo Systems credit; they accomplished what they set out to do. They created a successful viral campaign. The real success will be if Cardo Systems sees an up tick in sales and suffers no blow to its reputation.
Viral campaigns are a marketer’s dream; Customers are doing the work for you at no cost to you. Viral campaigns can also become a PR dream or nightmare depending on how they are done.
Now a viral campaign doesn’t have to be fake to be viral. The Diet Coke/Mentos videos were real. But as National Public Radio discussed, fake is in. Need another example? Check out this ad. It's for Gatorade.
So how far are you willing to go to mislead? What are your limits on deception? Are you prepared to deal with an unanticipated reaction when viewers discover your ruse? Before answering, here are some issues to consider.
Understanding the entertainment value -- Viral videos are rarely product plugs unless your product is really cool and worth sharing. (Think Apple) The most successful videos are forms of entertainment (make you laugh, shock you, etc) that people are moved to share. In some cases, there is even value in making viewers wonder if the video is an amateur effort or a professional production.
So you need to consider, do you have what it takes to be entertaining? And can you manage the line between being appropriate and inappropriate, laughed with and laughed at, tasteful and tasteless? Are you willing to take the risk?
Losing of control - What you gain in low cost distribution, you give up in control. A Super Bowl ad costs millions, but you are assured wide exposure. When making a viral video, you need to recognize that users will decide whether it will be an Internet sensation or a dud.
Setting a time frame – Viral videos can reach millions but their entertainment shelf life is short. You can get a burst of publicity, but viewers are not repeatedly exposed to the message.
Understanding the viral paradox – Marketers can spend millions trying to create viral videos, but the best ones are hit or miss; you can’t create viral. If you try to be viral, you will often fail.
Admitting it – If and when you are discovered, come clean. Denying involvement engenders the wrong kind of publicity and undermines the good will you were trying to create in the first place.
Going negative – While it’s more the case for political ads, PR challenges abound when a negative video about your company goes viral – especially when it’s fictitious. Taking a negative video seriously is critical. I wonder how many PR and marketing professionals have strategies in place to combat negative videos on YouTube? Do you swarm it or ignore it? Do you create a video to combat it or use another media to contain it?
Optimizing – Using tags is a good way to help people search your video and improve the chances of it going viral. YouTube uses the middle frame of a video as its thumbnail description. Some companies have actually resorted to using a sexy picture unrelated to the video to trick viewers into clicking on the thumbail. Others post fake comments or pay people to post fake comments to create the illusion of success. I don't recommend gaming the system.
Being too subtle – Blatant product plugs rarely go viral. But there is a danger of creating a video that is so subtle that viewers fail to make a connection with your product.
Setting the bottom line – When attempting to go viral, be authentic, be entertaining, but always keep your strategic objective in mind. Don’t go viral for the sake of going viral.
Ask yourself, would you watch this video and pass it around? Fake is risky. Are you willing to take the risk?
Let me get back to you.
Technorati Tags: Viral Videos; Cardo Systems; Gatorade; Diet Coke Mentos; Popcorn; Cell Phones; Cardo;
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