Just started the new job I'm not afraid anymore. But I am excited! The CEO came by my desk and we chatted about video campaigns. He showed a couple of successful (in terms of views) examples in the Monday Meeting. But what makes content virally successful? Is it just the entertainment value? Or does it matter where it's hosted? Are people more likely to watch a video on YouTube than on a corporate site? While people know that they're watching professionally produced content on You Tube much of the time, I think there's a thrill in the fact that they "found" it.
One of the funniest videos I've seen is an interactive video for Coke Zero (think Subservient Chicken). I only saw it because a friend of mine is the actor in it and forwarded to me. Otherwise, I've heard nothing about it and it's never been forwarded to me. Because it's interactive, it can't be hosted on YouTube but it's amazing to me how often I see a lot of production going into a concept but the whole "viral" component is completely missing. How did they intend for this video to circulate?
I think companies think these things just magically become viral. They don't. There's too much content on the Web for things to just be found. You have to get the ball rolling yourself. Then, if it's entertaining, relevant and accessible, it might become viral. Or not. Entertainment is not an exact science and more than ever, people want to be entertained.
An example of a site with crazy functionality but very bad exposure was to advertise The Simpsons. The contest was to create a trailer for their Halloween special using provided video clips, audio effects and music. The online editor was pretty good, not terribly accurate, but good enough to hook me. I spent several hours after work one day creating my trailer. Then what? I couldn't find it. I couldn't send it to a friend to rate it. I entered my email address but never received an email! I didn't even get a notice that the contest had ended. Nothing.
Too often, companies are sold on a cool idea but someone forgets to make it relevant (see my earlier post Faking It) or viral. To see an example of simple and really effective content, check out Church Sign Generator. I first got this on Friendster (before MySpace!) several years ago and it was just the first design shown. This obviously isn't selling anything, but can you see how this concept could?
