1. 180 MC:
{ PROJECT 1: Viral Video
Campaign
Group 4:
Jordan Kelman, Micheal Kolawole, Elizabeth Komolafe,
Priyanka Padan, Kate Westran, Laura McFarlane, Reema
Patria,
Jessica Bilimoria, Sun Jolanda
3. Thousands of videos are uploaded daily onto video hosting sites
all over the world, but only a select few have the capability to go
viral. When a video goes viral it is shared by many different
people in different parts of the world which results in it becoming
a global phenomenon.
Viral videos; in particular viral advertisements, attract so much
attention due to that fact that people question what they are
about and essentially, what the videos purpose is. The skill to
creating a viral video is not something that can be learnt in the
typical sense, as there are so many types of viral videos which we
have seen over the last few years. Many of these videos haven’t
been created with the intention of attracting a global audience,
whilst others have.
In order to create our own viral advertising campaign, we looked
at some examples of viral videos; some which were purposely
created to go viral, and others which had accidently become an
overnight success after being uploaded to Youtube.
Viral Videos: WHY DO
VIDEOS GO VIRAL
4. UNINTENTIONALLY VIRAL:
- Charlie Bit Me - One Pound Fish Man
-
We decided it would be beneficial to
show some examples of videos we
VIRAL VIDEOS watched when researching what makes
videos go viral, these two clips, Charlie
Bit Me, and the One Pound Fish man,
Examples were both videos which went viral as a
result of being uploaded to YouTube.
5. PURPOSELY MADE TO GO VIRAL
- Kony 2012
In contrast to the other two clips,
the Kony 2012 video was purposely
made to go viral. The creators of
VIRAL VIDEOS: the video hoped to reach out to a
global audience, and this is obvious
Examples within the first 2 minutes of the
short film…
6. After watching a variety of viral videos, we realised that there is
usually one key element which remains consistent throughout.
With home made videos which weren’t originally intended to go
viral, such as Charlie Bit Me, there are obvious elements of humour
throughout, which is what attracts millions of viewers to watch,
share and comment on the clip.
However, in terms of Kony 2012, the professional makers of the
film already had their audience in mind; they were campaigning
for something, so rather than using humour to target there
audience they focused on the emotional attachment the viewer
would feel when watching it. This is done through the use of music,
storyline and even the language which is used throughout. The use
of emotion in advertisements and videos when done correctly can
be extremely powerful, as seen with the Kony video. Within six
days, the clip had 100 million views on YouTube and 5 million
tweets had been written about it. (Guaridan Online
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-facts-numbers)
Examples: Differences
7. Viral marketing, or viral advertising uses social network sites such as
Facebook and twitter to proliferate the brand awareness of their product. To
make a successful viral advert, you have to think about they way in which
you communicate your product to the target audience. By using such
network platforms like Facebook, it’s more likely to become viral as it
travels faster through word of mouth rather than advertising on television.
Along with that, viral advertising has many pros such as it will be stuck on
the internet for all to see until you take it down yourself, this means
that it can not be replaced by another advert or taken off from airing
on television. It spreads geographically, so not only do people from
your country see it, but also it is viewed worldwide, and its
uncensored, which means you can put on whatever content you wish,
providing it follows the agreements in the contract if uploaded onto a
videoing platform such as YouTube.
VIRAL ADVERTISMENTS
9. While researching videos which had the most views
on YouTube, we found that there were many which
targeted the audience directly in a interactive, funny
way. There were a lot of adverts which had gone
viral through the use of flash mobs, used by
company's such as T-mobile, H&M, and Budweiser.
What we also discovered, were many homemade
YouTube clips in which people were scaring there
friends/members of the public to create a humorous
reaction, which is similar to how flash mob
advertising works, as the public are directly
interacted with in the same way.
Our Advertising
Campaign
10. In our advert, we incorporated these two ideas, by creating
an advertising campaign which attracts viewers through
humour. Our idea was to scare the public/friends using a
mask which would then result in an extremely entertaining
reaction, all of which would be filmed.
In terms of filming the clip we used the low-budget we had
to our advantage, by filming on basic cameras. We did this to
add an amateur feel to the clip as filming in this way makes
the advert seem more real, and therefore more entertaining
and relatable to the viewer.
Our Advertising
Campaign
11. Viral adverts tend to target their viewer through mystery; what
this means is that often, the viewer actually has no idea what the
clip is advertising. This is an extremely effective way to promote
a product, as the clip confuses the viewer into asking their
friends ‘Do you know what the point of this video is?’ and so on.
This technique has proven to be very effective for mass
companies such as Apple and Microsoft who create viral videos
which do not relate to their product in any way. Consumer’s are
much more likely to watch and share a clip which they do not
recognise initially as an advertisement, as they are not aware at
first that they are being targeted by a company who are
marketing a product.
For this reason, we decided not to include any kind of direct link
to the company of our choice, which was Red Bull.
Our Product: Red Bull
12. We came up with the concept of scaring people for the advert,
as the idea was that when you drink Red Bull, you become
someone else, the person in the mask; as it transforms you
when you drink it. Through scaring people it highlights the
rush that can be gained by the energy drink. The reaction of
the people being pranked was the key element, the adrenaline
and that heart racing moment. All boils down to that Red Bull
experience. We didn't’t included the Red Bull logo in the clip,
or the usual slogan ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ as we wanted to
get the attention of the public who would watch and share the
video for enjoyment first, rather than for advertising purposes.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT: The first time you
watched it, you may not have noticed the Red Bull...
Our Product: Red Bull
14. Facebook is the most used social
networking site in the world
today, (closely followed by
Twitter). Million’s of people of
all ages log on to Facebook daily,
and as a result we felt that this
was the most important social
platform to promote our video
on.
Most people have way over 300
friends on Facebook, and if the
video is shared, this means that
the majority of their Facebook
friends will see it…
WHAT ONLINE
PLATFORM WE USED:
Facebook…
15. There are nine people in our group for the viral video project, all of which
are from different areas of the UK, some even from different countries. What
this means is that we immediately have a global platform on Facebook,
targeting our friends all over the world when we share the link to our video.
By us all sharing the clip, we target people in Coventry, London, Essex and
even China, which shows the sheer power which Facebook can have in
relation to a global audience.
Our target demographic is teens and young adults, as we feel they are most
likely to drink Red Bull and be interested in the type of viral advert we
produced. Although Facebook is used by people of all ages, it is mainly used
a way for young people to interact with one another. We hope that through
us sharing the video, our virtual Facebook friends will see it and then share
it themselves, which eventually creates a video phenomenon.
WHAT ONLINE PLATFORM
WE USED:
Facebook…
16. Using the third tier principle we posted the video on twitter; each
person in the group posted the clip individually onto their own
accounts. The higher the amount of people following each individual
the higher the chance of a retweet, which is why we used as many
accounts as possible. We decided it would be a good idea to start a
hashtag, as well as sharing the link.
As well as mainly being used by our target audience, Twitter also
opens up the option for retweets by celebrities and other influential
people using the site. Unlike Facebook, Twitter isn’t a story of your life
through your ‘timeline’, but is meant to represent what you feel at that
moment in time. A person may be more likely to share the video on
Twitter if they are flicking through YouTube and come across the clip
because they find it funny, as tweets aren't something which are
remembered for a long period of time, but are what you feel at that
moment.
WHAT ONLINE PLATFORMS WE
USED: Twitter… #redbullscare
17. YouTube was the most important site to post the video on originally, as it
is the site which hosts the video and where we take the link from which
is then posted onto sites such as Facebook and Twitter. We created a new
account specifically for the viral video, ensuring that the account name
and email had nothing to do with the product we were trying to
advertise.
Once the video had been shared lots of times, and had collected
hundreds of views on YouTube, we would then post it on Twitter and
Facebook with signals of what it is related to, by tweeting something like
‘Have you seen this?... #redbullad’ which would then get people
thinking.
YouTube gives us access to a global audience, as we are no longer
restricted to our friends list of followers. What this means is that if we
successfully promote the video enough in order for it to get likes and
comments, then it will become more popular on YouTube through its
views and would then appear in related searches.
WHAT ONLINE PLATFORMS WE
USED: YouTube…
18. By using these three social platforms, we have attracted a specific
demographic, which are teenagers and young people. Teenagers are
most likely to go on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter
and YouTube to spread and share a viral video. Teenagers will be more
inclined to watch the video due to it’s comedic nature, as well as
references to popular culture such as the Gangnam style soundtrack,
dance and the Jigsaw mask from Saw.
Targeting the teenage demographic makes sense when marketing the
energy drink ‘Red Bull’ as what it stands for is excitement and thrill;
things which most young people relate too. Alternatively, as Red Bull
is an energy drink, they could potentially choose to target older people
in their marketing strategy, who may be tired from work and need a
boost to keep them going, however it is Coffee adverts which tends to
do this more. Red Bull clearly differs from coffee, and other caffeine
products in this way, as it is designed for a younger, more daring
generation. This is why we feel that targeting teenagers and young
adults will make for a successful marketing campaign.
PLATFORMS = CORRECT
DEMOGRAPHIC
19. YouTube: HITS ON YOUTUBE: 52/4 likes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpW
36iTi6S4
Video Links
