We all love viral videos and the ones listed below are some of the best performing online marketing videos of all time. They're a lot of fun to watch, but when you look at them as a group you'll find that they have things in common that you can apply to your online marketing efforts too. They often have a sense of humor and don't take their products and services too seriously. Many times they don't focus on their product much at all but are more about creating a feeling about a brand. Some offer a twist in the plot, or they take a point-of-view and turn it upside-down to make the viewer think, or even to insight an extreme emotional response. Some are just plain cute and you can't stop watching.
All of these videos "got me" one way or the other, and that fact speaks to the reasons they have all been so successful. Your organization can learn much from studying the reasons why these videos go viral. I'm not saying that your video will go viral too. There is a great deal of luck and other factors that are out of your control involved, but there is also the idea of being in the right place at the right time with the right message. You can control these factors, and in doing so your video is sure to experience more success.
OLD SPICE
No viral video listing would be complete without this gem, with many hilarious follow on videos, this one began to bring Old Spice back to life as a brand with relevance for a younger audience.
TNT ADD DRAMA
In this classic TNT pushes us to "add drama" to our lives with their stunt in Belgium.
BODYFORM RESPONDS
When a dude named "Richard" posted on Bodyform's Facebook feed the Bodyform CEO responded with some real truth you won't forget. You can use this link if you'd like to see Richard's post: https://www.facebook.com/Bodyform/posts/10151186887359324
TELEKINETIC COFFEE SHOP SUPRISE
To promote the movie Carrie, a New York coffee shop was transformed for a hidden camera stunt to capture shoppers’ reactions to telekinesis.
METRO TRAINS MELBOURNE DUMB WAYS TO DIE
One of the most innovative public safety videos of all time, dumb ways to die was an animated hit around the world and there have since been numerous sequels creates.
ALWAYS #LIKE A GIRL
In 2014 feminism and gender equality campaigns wee getting lots of publicity. It was the perfect time to make the Always #LikeAGirl was a big hit.
ANDROID FRIENDS FUREVER
The animated movie Robin Hood may have been my favorite movie as a child, so when Android paired the keynote song from that movie with a variety of animals on camera a "friends", well I have to admit it did choke me up a bit.
TROY LIBRARY: BOOK BURNING
This one is such a powerful example of turning a point-of-view upside-down. It shows the ability that strategic marketing has to “change the conversation” in very emotional and unexpected ways.
DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB
This one is probably my all time favorite viral marketing video. The Dollar Shave Club made this start-up with almost no employees and little investment an overnight success. I'm not going to share the entire story here, but do learn more about how this video was leveraged for success. It's a great story. You can find an interview about it here: https://youtu.be/Rh1FXXW-qIk