Viral Videos Delight Audiences, Boost Brands

Done right, and with a bit of luck, a viral video can yield millions of views, a heap of media buzz and maybe even some sales.

But these catchy films also let people see the humanity of your brand. Video content can make people feel good about you, your company and your products. And those positive vibes are priceless.

Here are some examples I like.

 

Dancing Inmates Promote Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’
Sony is banking on hundreds of prison inmates performing a dance routine inspired by the Michael Jackson documentary “This Is It” to sell copies of the film’s DVD.

 

156 Countries Sing Together for the Starbucks Love Project
On Dec. 7, Starbucks posted this feel good video of people around the world singing “All You Need Is Love.” They also launched Starbucksloveproject.com, where visitors can upload webcam videos of themselves belting out the song. Brew up some good feelings and, hopefully, lattes will sell.

 

Coca-Cola Smiles Thanks to ‘Happiness Machine’
This video captures the unscripted reactions of college students as a Coke machine doles out free soda, pizza, flowers, balloon animals and more. You can’t help but feel good watching this.

 

Piano Stairs Take Volkswagen to the Top
The Fun Theory inspires the audience, encouraging people to come up with fun ways to do the right thing. Watch all the videos at TheFunTheory.com, and you’ll learn how the amusing campaign earned Volkswagen a fun new ethos.

 

Sony Celebrates JK Wedding Dance
Sony could have laid down the law, demanding that this couple strip out Chris Brown’s song “Forever” from their wedding video. Instead, Sony saw the millions of viral views as a chance to sell more Chris Brown music. Smart move, Sony.

 

Share Your Favorite
Which one of these do you like best? Do you have other examples of viral videos that are helping brands? Leave me a comment and share your thoughts.

Tags: content strategy, effective content, Social Media, viral video, web 2.0

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 7:15 pm and is filed under Content Strategy, Social Media, Videos.

7 Responses to “Viral Videos Delight Audiences, Boost Brands”

1. Kre Alkalyn Pro says:

   February 2, 2010 at 2:26 am

   Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I’m sure you had fun writing this article.
2. wedding singer says:

   February 10, 2010 at 4:20 am

   Cool, there is actually some great ideas on here some of my subscribers may find this relevant, I will send them a link, many thanks.
3. Jeordan says:

   February 11, 2010 at 12:16 am

   Thanks, Wedding Singer. Appreciate you sharing the article with your subscribers.
4. Carolyn Jung says:

   February 17, 2010 at 4:58 am

   I love the piano stairs one. But then again, I’m a sucker for that giant keyboard scene in the movie, “Big.” Brings out the kid in all of us.
5. Edward Beckman says:

   February 21, 2010 at 3:18 pm

   Great blog, thanks! I really love it!
6. Chilly Medicine says:

   February 23, 2010 at 11:45 pm

   Cool post! How much stuff did you have to look up in order to write this one? I can tell you put some work in.
7. Jeordan says:

   March 5, 2010 at 7:41 pm

   Thanks for your comments. Glad you liked the post. It was worth the work. You’re right, Carolyn, the piano stairs are a lot like the scene in the movie “Big.” I wonder if VW had to cut a royalty check to the producers of the movie?