Over the last few years, viral videos have continued to play a big role in marketing. And while the ‘Old Spice Guy’ and ‘Cadbury’s Drumming Gorilla’ will probably live on in viral ad history, 2012 also brought with it a fair few gems worthy of our attention.
Before EE rolled out its 4G mobile service earlier this year, it provided customers with a taste of what was to come. Remastering the YouTube classic ‘Fenton’ in HD to illustrate brand identity and commitment to superfast connections, EE jumped on the viral bandwagon. Reaching over 3 million YouTube views, the campaign piggy-backed on the success of the original and allowed EE to integrate further pop culture references into its creative material – most notably ‘six degrees of Kevin Bacon’.
Bodyform took inspiration from a Facebook comment left by a disgruntled man for its best viral of 2012. The complainant blamed the company for suggesting women enjoy “a wonderful time of the month” by engaging in bike riding, roller coasters and dancing, which he felt simply wasn’t the case. The company’s subsequent response, in which Bodyform’s chief provided a deadpan explanation of “the truth”, gained 3.5 million YouTube views and brilliantly undermined the company’s previous campaigns, while elevating it to a position of authenticity and trust with the consumer.
Top contender for most successful viral ad of 2012 comes from Melbourne’s Metro Trains. ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ is a cheery sounding, but ultimately quite morbid song reaching over 32 million YouTube views worldwide. This public service announcement has topped the YouTube charts, even being released as a single available to buy. The advertising agency behind the ad, McCann Melbourne, claims that for just the fraction of the cost of a TV advert, it has generated at least $50 million worth of media value, as well as worldwide coverage in its first two weeks alone.
A successful the viral ad provides campaigns with virtually free access to millions of viewers across the globe. This relatively new mode of reaching consumers is quickly becoming a desirable medium – though sometimes with slightly dubious results. TomTom’s latest contribution tanked in the rankings and alienated audiences when it pre-emptively professed to be viral ad. Being presumptuous about its online reputation, the ad intentionally parodies the most popular viral hits (badly) and misses out on what might have made it a success. With only 250,000 YouTube views, it doesn’t come close.