Viral Videos – ABC Radio Interview
Making a viral video is like catching lighting in a video. In podcast episode 8, Marcus Seeger is interviewed by ABC Tropical North by morning presenter Kim Kleidon.
Everyone in the video industry dreams of producing just one viral video!
You know, the one that gets millions of views around the world complete with an avalanche of shares and comments.
The most successful video in the history of the internet is PSY, Gangnam Style with, at the time of writing, over 2.3 billion views and over 9 million likes on YouTube alone. Just imagine! The most popular non-music video is a home movie, “Charley bit my finger – again”, with just over 800 million views on YouTube. There are definitely opportunities from a local perspective with the most viewed Aussie video being Get Up Australia’s “It’s time – Marriage Equality” with over 15 million views.
Whilst a viral video can be seen as the ultimate success story, many videos with comparably miniscule views can be far more successful from a business profits perspective. Nonetheless, the attraction of a viral video is tempting. As a consequence, branded content is becoming more common and often with big budgets. For example: Volvo Trucks “Epic Split” with Van Damn, Chipotel’s “Scarecrow” or the 2015 Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial “Puppy Love”.
The most successful ads that become viral videos are those that tell a story and don’t focus squarely on their product. By providing entertainment first and foremost they are shared and viewed so many times that they become viral. Let’s not forget they are also selling their brand but in a clever and discrete roundabout way. Now that surely is a winning combination.