So You Want To Make a Viral Video

If you’re watching the above video, you’re probably asking yourself a lot of questions right now including:

• What the hell is this?
• Why am I watching this insanity?
• What the $#%* is a “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen”?

All are valid questions. But ultimately they’re useless because this video has over 117,000,000 views. That’s right, you’re watching a viral video.

What is a viral video?

There’s a lot of speculation as to what exactly makes a video go “viral.” There aren’t any parameters or guidelines for virality. So, there’s no set number to reach. However, to paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart’s famous description of porn, “I can’t quite define it, but I know it when I see it.” You can’t draw the line between viral and not viral, but when a video’s buzz is palpable and it’s plastered on everybody’s facebook wall, that’s a pretty safe indicator that it’s reached critical virality.

Why are viral videos so desirable?

As the name suggests, viral videos spread crazy quick. One minute, you’ve never even considered what a “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” is; the next, you’ve watched that video over 20 times. Viral videos take on a life of their own. They elicit everything from countless hours of discussion across social media to accompanying parody videos.

Viral videos are infectious, and if that infection is crossbred with some brand infusion, that can lead to some serious dollars. I mean, if some random guy can make bank from ad revenue with a simple voiceover video like “The Ultimate Dog Tease,” shouldn’t a big brand with big money behind it be able to come up with something equally as buzzworthy?

The short answer is: yes…and no.

How to make a branded viral video

No matter the size of your brand, the prominence of your company, or the strength of your marketing efforts, everyone wants the next hit viral video. Not only does the mania that surrounds a viral video give the brand great exposure, but its online presence makes tracking easy and measurable. A.k.a., it’s everything a brand wants.

The problem is that there just aren’t that many brands bold enough to make a video that has a chance to go viral. Of course, they want the exposure & notoriety that comes with video virality, but they also want something that stays within brand guidelines, hits all demographics, really drives home their UVPs…and you see the problem now. Videos go viral for their ridiculousness, for their boldness. And sadly, most brands just aren’t willing to take that leap of faith.

When brands do make the jump, it is often to great effect.  TakeMountain Dew’s absurd, over-the-top commercial from a few years ago, “Puppymonkeybaby.”  Mountain Dew went out on a limb with this spot and they did so on the biggest advertising stage possible:  their Super Bowl time slot.

The video is the definition of absurd. It features a weird creature that’s ⅓ Pug, ⅓ monkey, and (you guessed it!) ⅓ baby. While some people found the video too over-the-top, all that mattered was that they watched it again and again, to the tune of over 28,000,000 views on YouTube alone!

“Puppymonkeybaby’s” zaniness definitely left some people scratching their heads. But while they were scratching they were also talking about the brand, which was all that mattered.

What’s the takeaway?

This is a brazen example, but a lot of brands could learn a thing or 6 from Mountain Dew’s approach to this spot. As bold and youth-directed as Mountain Dew’s marketing is, this video was still a far cry from their previous efforts.

They went out on a limb, took a chance, and strayed from the “safe” approach to brand marketing. Then, and ONLY then, were they able to make a video that set social media abuzz.

Fortune favors the bold, and so too does the market for viral videos.

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on viral videos? What makes a video go viral? Can brands make a viral video while still playing it safe? Let me know in the comments section!