This document discusses viral video marketing strategies in Russia compared to other markets. In Russia, viral videos are more content-driven and focus on novelty due to budget constraints, whereas in Western markets they emphasize special effects. The most successful recent Russian viral video was Medvedev's New Year's speech, which gained millions of views through creative surprises that kept viewers engaged. The video's success was based on a scientific approach that addressed common problems with viewer engagement and sharing.

1. Viral Video Case Study
13 March 2012

2. Viral Marketing in Russia Adapts Foreign Lessons
to a Local Environment
US / Europe Russia
• Rooted in email advertising (Hotmail), with • Video is from the beginning the primary
other forms such as videos, SMS, images, viral marketing medium, although
games and e-books later additions interactive games are gaining in popularity
• Viral marketing is an established element of • Only few companies, and often only
every company’s marketing strategy Western companies, use viral campaigns
• Viral videos are effects-driven and big • Viral videos are content-driven and play on
budget as well as part of multi-channel novelty and edginess due to budget
marketing campaigns constraints
• Most recent successes by established • Most recent successes by small start-ups,
brands, e.g. Evian, VW, Coca-Cola e.g. Travelmenu
• Lower ROI than in the early stages as the • High ROI as significant brand awareness is
novelty of viral marketing has worn off achieved despite small budget productions
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3. Medvedev’s New Year’s Speech (released in Dec 2011)
• 6 million views on YouTube within 3 months • Winner of multiple awards on YouTube and
• Site traffic increases 5 times within 48 hours in Runet
• 90% new visitors
• Order volume increases 2.5 times • Significant additional coverage in social and
conventional media in Russia and abroad
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4. A Scientific Approach behind the Creative Process…
PROBLEM
• The more prominent or intrusive the logo, the more likely viewers are to
Problem 1: stop watching – even if they know and like the brand
Prominent • People seem to have an unconscious aversion to being persuaded
Branding Puts SOLUTION
Off Viewers • Travelmenu only had the Logo at the end of the video, but creatively
played on the theme of ‘travel’ by imagining Medvedev on a beach
holiday
PROBLEM
Problem 2:
People Get • Keeping viewers involved depends on 2 emotions: Joy and Surprise
Bored Right SOLUTION
Away • 6 seconds into the video the Kremlin as a scenery is moved showing
Medvedev in fact giving his New Year’s speech while on vacation
PROBLEM
Problem 3: • Ads that produce stable promotional states generally aren’t effective in
People Watch engaging viewers very long
for a While But SOLUTION
Then Stop • In the span of 1 minute, the video has 7 surprise changes, which keep
the viewer interested
Note: Problems defined as per a Harvard Business Review article, dated March 2012. 4

5. ...Ensured Travelmenu’s Viral Success
PROBLEM
• Shock may get people to watch an ad privately, but will often work against
Problem 4:
their desire to share the spot
People Like an
SOLUTION
Ad but Won’t
• Travelmenu’s parody of a well-known annual political event always
Share it
stayed light-hearted while still hitting the ‘Zeitgeist’ in the run-up to
the elections
PROBLEM
• Research has shown that sharing depends on the personality type of the
Problem 5: viewers
People Still • Extroverted viewers and influencers are much more likely to share
Won’t Share SOLUTION
the Ad • Travelmenu seeded the ad with key influencers and bloggers within
Runet to achieve maximum exposure early-on thereby leading to a
critical mass of viewership within only 24 hours of release
Note: Problems defined as per a Harvard Business Review article, dated March 2012. 5

6. Spasibo!
Katrin Buckenmaier, Co-Founder and CEO
Corporate Twitter: @travelmenu_ru
vKontakte: vk.com/travelmenu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/travelmenu
Email: pr@travelmenu.com
Katrin’s Personal Twitter: @theanimagroup
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