Archive for the ‘Viral Videos’ Category

From the St. Petersburg Times, Sunday, August 23, 2009:

Memory. • It’s Halloween, and Michelle Phan is 5 years old. • Her classmates have come to school in glamorous princess costumes that cascade and billow. One girl, she remembers, is beautiful in a saffron Belle gown from Beauty and the Beast. • But Michelle’s family is on food stamps. No princess dress for her. Instead, she finds a paper plate and a red lipstick. She smooshes a crimson nose center and sketches a face around it. • A lion. A strong cat. • She wears it like a mask. • The princesses laugh. For Michelle Phan, the stomach-pit pain that comes with inadequacy never quite goes away. But lessons last longer. • Now, she understands, she did what others couldn’t. • “I made something out of nothing.”

Chasing A Dream

Michelle was born in Massachusetts on April 11, 1987. Both of her parents were born in Vietnam.  They divorced when she was a child and Michelle was raised by her mother.

At the age of 18 Michelle was studying dermatology at Tampa Bay Technical High School. Her mother wanted her to become a doctor. The two were struggling to make ends meet. But Michelle wanted to do something else. Her passion was art. And makeup was her art. Several months later Michelle applied for a behind the counter job at a department store selling Lancome beauty products. She was turned down for the job.

Blogging and YouTubing

Michelle began blogging at the age of 16. Then in 2007 she made her first makeup video for her friends.  Jump ahead to 2009. Michelle quits her job at a sushi restaurant to concentrate on creating YouTube videos. She becomes a web star. He new status gains the attention of an investor. The two teamed with a doctor and a scientist to start a skin care company called IQQU Beauty.

In February of 2010 Michelle announced that she had signed a deal with Lancome to be their video makeup artist. This was the first such contract for a YouTube video creator. Here is her announcement:

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The Most Subscribed YouTuber

On January 26, 2010, Michelle Phan became the most subscribed YouTube Guru of all time. Her most famous video, the “Lady GaGa Poker Face Tutorial” has 17,951,652 views as I am writing this blog.  Her videos are noted for a unique style that incorporates her voice over instruction, music and text subtitles.

Here is her Lady GaGa video:

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To visit Michelle’s YouTube Channel go to http://www.youtube.com/michellephan. If you’re like me, you’ll want to check in on this one occasionally. This dream has just started!

Popularity: 35% [?]

Half A Million Hits In Less Than Six Weeks

Blendtec posts another video on March 3rd, 2010. In a matter of just a couple of hours it has over 7800 hits! In less than six weeks it has over 550,000.

Take a look:

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This is a prime example of mixing product promotion and entertainment. When you do that, your social media marketing can go viral (it spreads like a virus). And this time Blendtec is incorporating there social media marketing. This video also serves as an invitation to join their Facebook page.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Here is a 12 minute video created by Radical Media and Publicis Mojo Productions. It was posted on the Schweppes Online Film Festival. This was an award winner.

The only commercial exposures that are seen by the viewer are a Schweppes bottle on two occasions and Coca Cola listed in the credits at the end.

Not a word is spoken by the two primary characters in this video. An incredible range of feelings is communicated without speaking.  It is a classy piece of work, right down to risqué element in the middle of the story. I love marketers who show a little guts.

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This is a professionally created short film. As of December 18, the video has been viewed 3,466,853 times. And a lot of us have looked at it more than once. Do you think Schweppes and Coke got a good return on this investment?

Popularity: 3% [?]

That is the million dollar question! And the answer is worth well over a million dollars.

What is a Viral Video?

According to Wikipedia: “A viral video is a video that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through internet media sharing websites. Viral videos often contain humorous content and include televised comedy sketches…”

Viral Marketing includes three elements:

1. The message
2. The medium
3. The delivery

Our focus is on creating a video, so we have determined the medium we are going to use. That leaves us with determining the message and the delivery method.

For the purpose of this website our delivery method focuses on YouTube. But, remember, that can carry over to your blog, your website and emails from people to their friends if they want to share it. Once a video is posted on YouTube it can be linked to other Internet delivery mediums.

That leaves us with the message we are to convey. In so many viral videos the message in the video has nothing to do with its sponsor. It is simply a tag line inserted in a portion of the video. For the most classic example of this read our posting on Stride Gum and Matt Harding.

For a short example view this video that is sponsored by Volkswagon:

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As I am writing this article, this video has been viewed 9,236,921 times.

Can You Create A Viral Video?

According to some it is nearly impossible. It is hard to predict what kind of video will gain popularity and spread over the Internet. But if you are willing to try it, you need to make a decision on how much to invest in the project.

The idea is the key. And that can come from the creative minds of an advertising agency or something you pick up on that is right in front of you, as happened with Blendtec Blenders (see our article on their YouTube campaign).

Once you have an idea that you think will fly then the smartest path is to create a low budget video and test it. Once it begins to gain momentum on YouTube, you can enhance the video by increasing your investment in a more professional production. But be careful not to change the message. Just fine tune what has already proven to be effective.

Can You Find One to Promote Your Business?

Often times, advertisers find an idea they like on video and purchase the rights from the creator. From that point they are likely to invest more resources into the promotion by enhancing the video to focus on an audience that is typical of their target customers. The video doesn’t have to be about their product. Look at the Stride Gum ad mentioned earlier.

The key is to find a video in its infant stages. And to find something that appeals to your target audience. And from that point, like any promotion, you are taking a risk.

Popularity: 2% [?]