There was once a publisher who produced the only successful local newspaper in his area. According to him, the secret to his success was names. People love to see their name in the paper. Even more importantly they love to share this brief moment of fame with all their friends and family. That’s why he filled his paper with local names.
What if this same principle was applied to viral videos?
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Did you know that about 25% of the Western honey bee population has disappeared over the last few winters? Most experts think that the main culprit is a mysterious phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, which causes bees to suddenly leave their hive and die.
How did I learn about this? Viral marketing! I recently came across a fun YouTube video from Haagen-Dazs. In an effort to save the bees (and sell some ice cream), they are trying to put a human face on this situation. Check out the video:
After watching the “Bee-Boys” dance, you are directed to a viral microsite called helpthehoneybees.com. This is a great little site. They give you some quick facts, wallpaper, a screensaver, and information on how you can help. They even assemble it into a handy lesson plan that teachers or parents can use.
To help spread the word, they let you create a bee in your own likeness, which you can send to friends. Don’t I make a cute bee?
MarketingSherpa has finally announced the winners of its 2008 Viral Marketing Hall of Fame awards. This year’s top 10 campaigns range from from massive brands like General Mills to a small Canadian printing company called Pazazz.
I have to say that I really love Pazazz’s video. It’s funny, clever, and helps demonstrate how much passion they have for printing.
In the spirit of the RayBan catchers, this video has been watched almost 2.5 million times in less than a week! Rumour has it that Levi’s Jeans created this piece. If they did, I’m confused why they wouldn’t put their logo or something to identify them on the video. I don’t think this video would be any less popular if they identified themselves.
If they are not the creators, I would hate to be the jean company that did do it. Just think about it. All that hard work and creativity and your competitor gets the free PR. Either way I don’t think anybody is really a winner…except the viewers. It’s definitely worth a click.
These days, GPS technology isn’t limited to cars and military equipment. New cell phones can now guide you through unfamiliar cities, find the nearest cafe, or create art…yes art.
Nokia has recently launched a viral microsite about a fictional artist called Stavros and his “position art“. This pretentious yet engaging character uses his Nokia GPS system to create art.
I love this idea. Not only does it demonstrate the phone’s GPS system but it also encourages people to use it and share the art they’ve created with friend.
In addition to the blog and Stavros art, you can view art created by site visitors. Unfortunately, the visitors are encouraged to created these images using a mouse rather than a GPS system. This is a bit of a letdown and perhaps a missed opportunity. Sure it’s easier to use a mouse; however, it’s not satisfying and definitely not worth sharing. Why would I want to see pictures that people scribbled on their computer?
Nokia should have stayed true to their concept. Perhaps they could have held GPS contests or recruited art students to create real position art. On the website they could have also provided city maps with street-by-street directions to recreate Stavros’s art.
Not only is this an example of a great viral marketing video, but it’s also a clever way of demonstrating how difficult it can be for marketers to achieve awareness.
I recently received an email from Cake Group, about a new viral video that they produced. This is one of the few instances where I think the spoof is better than the original.
My only complaint about this video is the product placement. Can you tell what product this video is for? Does it make you want to buy the product?
A while back, Axe launched the “Naughty to Nice†campaign. The premise is that Axe Vice products are turning nice girls into naughty vixens. As part of the campaign, Axe launched a slick viral microsite consisting of a funny video and a mystery for visitors to solve.
The problem I have with the mystery is that there is no mystery. The answer is plastered all over the site and the clues are spoon feed to you.
Painfully Obvious Tip: If you’re going to create a challenge for your visitors, make sure that it’s somewhat challenging. Otherwise, visitors are not going to feel rewarded for their effort. Don’t spoon feed the clues. Make them earn it. People who participate in mysteries want to be challenged.
Perhaps the true mystery involves figuring out who Axe is actually marketing to? After viewing the Naughty To Nice video (well worth a click), you are asked to report any naughty girls in your life. Once you report a naughty girl, Axe sends that girl an email to inform her of the video.
This “report a naughty girl” feature brings up some interesting questions. Are they hoping that this will spread to teenage girls who will buy it for their smelly boyfriends? Are these naughty girls going to send it to their naughty friends who will send it to their boyfriends? Is Axe going outside their direct target market so that they can jump between different male social clicks? Are naughty girls the common thread that binds all men together?
To promote the new Xeon microchip, Intel has created an amazing microsite for geeks. Robo Brawl allows you to build a robot and enter it into battle against other robots. The best part is that you can challenge your friend to a match.
The website is well thought out. The longer you play the game the more you learn about the Xeon chip. What I love about it is that they don’t jam it down your throat. It’s definitely worth a click…especially if you’re a geek like me.
In my last post, I talked about pushing the limits of social norms. One of the best people at doing this is Sarah Silverman. The video below has been viewed over 4 million times.
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September 25th, 2008 by 
Edward Dron
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They even assemble it into a handy lesson plan that teachers or parents can use.
These days, GPS technology isn’t limited to cars and military equipment. New cell phones can now guide you through unfamiliar cities, find the nearest cafe, or create art…yes art.
