Mike Arauz is a strategist at Is your video viral?
How many times have you heard a client claim that they're going to release a "viral" video? Or maybe you've been in a meeting where a new campaign is being presented by a creative team who has brilliantly decided to include a few viral videos in their online strategy? Maybe you, yourself, have fallen into the trap of promising a viral hit without ever stopping to consider what it takes to actually create that result?
Inspired by this post by Sam Ford at PepperDigital, I was reminded that viral success on the internet is actually very simple and easy to define (see the handy flow chart below).
(click for printable 8 1/2 x 11 version)
First of all, it's impossible for any video to be viral if no one has seen it, yet. And second of all, it's impossible for any video to be viral if no one chooses to pass it on. It's as simple as that. So, don't put the marketing buzz word before the work. Focus on creating content that will inspire viewers to tell other people about it, and make sure that you've given them all the tools they need to do that.
As Sam said, the most important thing to remember is that "unlike a biological virus, people have autonomy in deciding whether to spread content or not. A campaign can't be 'viral' unless the audience wants it to be."
Inspired by this post by Sam Ford at PepperDigital, I was reminded that viral success on the internet is actually very simple and easy to define (see the handy flow chart below).
(click for printable 8 1/2 x 11 version)
First of all, it's impossible for any video to be viral if no one has seen it, yet. And second of all, it's impossible for any video to be viral if no one chooses to pass it on. It's as simple as that. So, don't put the marketing buzz word before the work. Focus on creating content that will inspire viewers to tell other people about it, and make sure that you've given them all the tools they need to do that.
As Sam said, the most important thing to remember is that "unlike a biological virus, people have autonomy in deciding whether to spread content or not. A campaign can't be 'viral' unless the audience wants it to be."
Friday, October 3, 2008
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3 Comments:
Nicely done, Mike.
Content first focus is a good piece of advice and my only concern is how to use such a wonderfully simple diagram like this without a client feeling really stupid. Not that this has ever stopped me before. ;)
Thanks for the shout-out, Mike, and always nice to make it explicit. The truth is, this doesn't seem like rocket science, but it shows why language matters: terms get away from us. Suddenly, campaigns are labeled viral before they ever start, which defies the very meaning of the term.
On top of that, as I mentioned over on my blog, I have reservations with using the term "viral" outside of the simple metaphor it's best at, primarily because the term "viral" is a biological one that indicates no ability to choose whether you pass something along or not. But, the meaning-making doesn't stay with the creator or with the content, but rather with those who choose to spread it for a particular reason, and in a certain context.
This is a concept that those of us working with The Convergence Culture Consortium are really thinking about a lot these days. For instance, see this post from Henry Jenkins.
Fascinating - as someone who is a recent arrival in the realm of new media and will be using new media to advance a social agenda for survivors of genocide I found your diagram to be helpful and to share.
Many thanks
Jane Wells, Founder, Three Generations
www.threegenerations.org
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