As our lives become ever more cluttered with media, brands have had to get creative in their attempts to reach customers.
Viral videos showing cats playing pianos and laughing babies could easily be overlooked as an internet quirk, but sharing them online with friends has become a natural reaction for anyone with a social media account. That crucial step – watching and then sharing – was soon picked up on by companies who put their TV commercials online for people to share using social media. Once businesses realized the potential of viral videos the social media element became integral to marketing campaigns, and measuring public awareness through social media channels become commonplace.
But some companies realized an even greater of the viral phenomenon and began to make videos designed to be watched exclusively online. These could be longer than the restrictive TV commercial length of around 30 seconds, and could be edgier, with more humor, quirkiness or risqué content than might be acceptable for prime-time TV. I’ve collected together some of my favorite recent examples that have gone viral.
Coca Cola Happiness Machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqT_dPApj9U
This hidden-camera style video is two minutes long and clearly designed for sharing online. A Coca Cola machine dispenses free CocaCola bottles… and then balloon animals, a pizza and even a four-foot long sandwich to a delighted student dining hall.
‘The Motherhood’ featuring Fiat 500L
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eNVde5HPhYo
This one has been flying around moms on Facebook recently. At three minutes long it is the length of a music video and features a rapping mother with three kids showing off her oh-so-glamorous life of poopy nappies, nursing bras and cesarean scars. The language and content wouldn’t make it onto a regular TV commercial, but moms have appreciated every second of it. The new Fiat 500L is now firmly in the minds of its target customers.
The Athlete Machine – Red Bull Kluge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0jmSsQ5ptw
A video 5:58 long would never work as a TV commercial, but the Red Bull brand is now synonymous with extreme sports in the minds of the public, and extreme sports videos were some of the first to go viral on the internet. This one has it all: skydiving, skateboarding, stunt bikes and more… all linked together by an awesome marble run-style machine.
Prada presents ‘A Therapy’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-gl-kaGumng
Prada have spared no expense on this classy and humorous short film directed by Roman Polanski. A therapist (Ben Kingsley) finds it hard to concentrate on his self-absorbed patient (Helena Bonham Carter), when there is such a luxurious and wonderful distraction in the room.
The Next Big Thing is Already Here – Samsung Galaxy S III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf5-Prx19ZM&feature=player_embedded#
This hilarious video pokes fun at the craze of waiting for hours outside stores for the latest product launch from Samsung’s trendy technology rival. Tech geeks will appreciate this one… and they’re just the type to share it online: 17 million views and counting!
TV advertising won’t be replaced any time soon, but an increasing amount of brands’ marketing resources are going towards alternative internet-based videos which will never make it past the computer screen. As they push the boundaries of the internet video format ever further they are becoming entertainment in their own right.
Originally published in Fast Company