Hoehn's Musings » viral video

Brilliant Youtube Advertising

Charlie — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:12:48 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised by how well Nintendo executed this latest ad for the new Wario game:

http://www.youtube.com/experiencewii

Just using basic Flash, they were able to completely surprise the viewer and make the ad memorable. How often do you see something this creative? It’s rare. We don’t question our limitations enough when we’re trying to market something. For instance, most everyone assumes that Youtube’s layout is inherently fixed – it’s not even a conscious thought, that’s just the way it is.

I’m sure Nintendo paid a high price to do something this unique, but I have to say that it was worth it.

Converse’s Meatball Sundae

Charlie — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:48:04 +0000

Meet the “Out of Your League Hot Girl.” I’m not exactly sure who this chick is (although she does look A LOT like Sarah Shahi), but it’s a good thing Converse is paying her to help sell their shoes…

Just kidding. They hired her to make a viral video. Congratulations, you marketing geniuses!

I can just imagine how that pitch meeting went. “This is brilliant, John! Sex sells AND it’s using the internet! And it’s going to be a viral video?! Excuse me while I clean up the walls because you just blew my mind!” Do companies not realize that viral videos aren’t a good way to make money?** They’re short-lived clips that people watch for about a week (more if you’re lucky), and then just forget about. Google continues to struggle with Youtube because they can’t figure out how to monetize something that’s been seen by 30 million people. So why would Converse waste their money on creating videos that have NOTHING to do with what their company does or stands for?

The “Out of your league girl” videos are inherently viral, which is fine if that’s all they’re trying to do. “Check out how hot this chick is, bro! It’s not really that funny, but… look how hot she is!” If Converse is measuring their web campaign’s success based on traffic, they’re in for a pleasant surprise. But if they’re looking at interest in brand, increase in sales, or anything that matters for their continued success as a company, they aren’t going to find much.

Converse: please fire your marketing agency. They are wasting your money with cool videos for us that won’t help you.

Converse’s marketing agency: please keep using money from other big companies to make stupid but fun videos. It’s amazing you were able to trick them into thinking your BS campaign was a good idea.

**An exception to the rule. This viral video definitely resulted in an increase in sales and good publicity for its creators.

Numa Unicorn

Charlie — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:04:32 +0000

I want to briefly talk about two viral videos: Charlie the Unicorn and The Numa Kid. Both of these have several million views. And both of them have sequels that attempt to put a fresh spin on the same formula.

Maybe I’m way off base here (the numbers don’t lie – all of these videos have millions of views), but I don’t think viral sequels really work. They don’t seem to offer the viewer much, other than “Oh yea, I remember the original… This isn’t as funny.” Or worse: “Wow, it’s kind of pathetic that they’re still doing the same old schtick.”

I guess some people like to see old gags again, but these videos typically lack the charm of their predecessors. The same problem can happen on a much larger scale, of course. But the problem with viral videos is that you see them so many times that you get burnt out. Milk it for what it’s worth when it’s hot, but don’t plan on anything long-term. It’s better to just move on and create something fresh.