Some analysts are fascinated by the marketing mechanics that drive up page views on You Tube. And some analysts are more interested in the quality of a video which makes it turn viral. This was the approach which Gaby Diaz took last year when she wrote a blog article on marketingexperiments.com about what viral videos have in common.

Gaby pointed out that in addition to being eye catching and attention grabbing, videos that successfully turn viral must have some quality that grabs the mind of the viewer. There must be something in the video that “creates a rush to share the experience” with friends. Additionally, since Gaby was talking about branding videos, she posited that to be successful, a branding video, in a non-obtrusive way, had to create a connection in the viewer’s mind between the message and the brand behind the video.

Gaby presented 4 examples of her thesis, but the one that drew the most comments was the Samsung’s Extreme Shepherding LAD video. In this unique video, the Samsung outdoor light’s company created a unique show by attaching remotely controlled colored lights to the backs of sheep that were subsequently paraded into a large pasture at night. By skillful sheparding, the lights were arranged into words and other beautiful patterns, which were enhanced by the remote control of the lighting. Subsequently, digital photographs of the outdoor arrangements were remixed in a computer lab and turned into such great works of art as a replica of the Mona Lisa.

Gaby believes that the power of this video, which to date has drawn over 10,000,000 views is the contrast between the ancient art of shepherding and the modern ingenuity of remote control lighting and computer mixing. Gabi described how the video has a “can do energy.” And, she noted that friends of hers who work in outdoor light displays saw the video and were inspired to try their own outdoor light display using the principles they learned from the video.

One of the blog commentators noted that Rudyard Kipling had coined a phrase describing the tendency of cultural achievements and ideas to build upon themselves. Kipling called it the “Homeric wink.” The active endeavor to imitate or act upon the idea, is the “wink,” or acknowledgment of the thing viewed. The commentator added that the shepherding video was so successful because it’s imagery was inclusive of classical modern and pop culture. From the idyllic age of shepherding to the Mona Lisa to the pop cultural images of the video game pong and a movie character from Wallace and Grommit, the video blended myriad epics and genres into one glorious celebration of modern ingenuity. The commentator pointed out that while some viral videos are primarily parodies on modern institutions, the effectiveness of the LED video was it’s glorification of modern ingenuity, and that strongly resonates in the minds of the viewers.

If one were to draw conclusions from the blog, commentary and examples, one would have to say that truly effective viral videos grab the attention and interest of the viewers in a way that makes them want to share the experience with others. Viral videos have appeal because they present a new idea or concept that people want to incorporate into their life and either replicate themselves or watch other people replicate it. The essential appeal of the video is the presentation of a new idea which people want to build upon. When you multiply that phenomena millions of times you find that successful viral videos not only are incorporated into culture, they subsequently become the growing tip of new cultural ideas, which becomes the essence of their virality.

Thanks to Winmax Video of California for presenting this article. Winmax is a producer of trade show videos, corporate videos and other business videos.

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