make me a viral: the art & science of video virals

1 Make Me A Viral!

Viral Video & YouTubeCiarán Norris, Head of Social Media: Mindshare

2Mindshare SocialMedia8: ViralTracker

When to shoot me….3

Cambodia4kidsorg on flickr

4 Agenda

• What is a viral?

• The case for viral marketing

• Planning

• Viral examples

• YouTube tips

5 What is viral marketing?

Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness, through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses.

Wikipedia

6 WTF?!

Cool sh*t that people like to share.

Ciarán Norris

7 The case for viral marketing

Why do companies like Toblerone or Pepperidge Farm bother having websites?

As if people are going to say to themselves, “Gee, I wish I knew more about Milano cookies. I know! I’ll go to their site!”

Just a thought.

Ethan Jarlewski: Douglas Coupland, JPod

8 Why do we care?

9 First things first…

10 First things first…

YOU CAN’T MAKEA VIRAL

11 First things first…

People

Objectives

Strategy

TechnologiesForrester Methodology

•Comment on blogs•Post ratings and reviews

•Use RSS•Tag Web pages

•Read blogs•Watch peer-generated video•Listen to podcasts

•None of these activities

Creators

Critics

Collectors`

Joiners

Spectators

Inactive

Source: Forrester’s NAVTAS Q4 2006 Devices & Access Online Survery

•Publish Web page•Publish or maintain blog•Upload video to sites like YouTube

•Use social networking sites

First things first…

13 First things first…

04/1

2/2

02

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Foote

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Here

14 The 2 Greatest Virals Of All Time?

No. Not the video.

This bit.

15 The 2 Greatest Virals Of All Time?

Right here.

Jurvetson on flickr

16 Types of viral

• Ones that are funny

• Ones that are unbelievable

• Ones that pose a question

• Ones that are informative

• Ones that piggyback

17 Ones that are funny…

18

Sales uplift: 650% in 18 months

19 Ones that are unbelievable…

20 Ones that are unbelievable…

21 Ones that pose a question…

22 Ones that pose a question…

Re, re, rewind...

23 Ones that are informative…

24 Ones that are informative…

25 Ones that piggy-back…

26 Ones that are piggy-back…

More popular than the original

27 YouTube Tips

• Headline – Make them exclusive!

• Thumbnail – put it in the middle

• Comments – let them roll

• Referrers – refer them

28 Conclusion

It’s the creative, stupid!

29

psd on flickr

Ciarán NorrisHead of Social Media, Mindshareciaran.norris@mindshareworld.com@ciaranj