Here we are again, in awe of and in love with the elusive and seemingly unpredictable, viral marketing.
Whether it’s a dancing elf holiday sensation, a series of movie-like mini films, or a YouTube Beauty sensation, marketers can’t help but lust after the creation of a viral phenomenon, and the rumored glory that follows.
Many have tried and failed in their efforts to create viral content, which leaves me wondering why more don’t go the route that Nike and now Weezer have successfully taken.
Back in January, I talked about Nike attaching themselves to the already successful YouTube favorite of Ok Go dancing on Treadmills. Instead of creating content in hopes that it would go viral, they connected with the band to produce a treadmill workout. The collaboration matched up perfectly to what Nike had already started with the creation of the Nike+ community.
Now Weezer has taken the same approach, connecting with past YouTube celebs to create a music video for their new single, Pork and Beans. The video looks to be successful right out of the gate, showing up on a number of different blogs Friday shortly after the release. Viral Video Chart is showing Pork and Beans as the #1 viral with 3,648,939 views. Not to shabby.
- Should more marketers take a page out of the Nike and Weezer playbook and find a viral success to attach their brand to?
- Would this approach even work for other products or brands?
Chris- thanks for your comment and for the link to the post.
I agree that what Nike and Weezer did (or their creatives did) is perfect; embrace what is already there. It isn’t co-opting something and making it your own, it’s teaming up with those who are already successful, working with them to so-promote their work and your own, and providing the community/ audience with something they have already shown that they like.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of these evolving. I’m hoping to also find a way to do something similar… though I currently have no idea how… but I’m thinking.
Chris,
Co-opting as mentioned above is a great idea; but not necessarily a good fit for every company.
The problem is that marketers misinterpret what viral is. They think it can be reproduced to garner attention for their brands and products. Unfortunately, that isn’t the truth. These things go viral because of intrinsic quality and a cool factor. Reproduction of that is pretty difficult.
Brands need to focus more on where their consumers spend time online and figure out ways to initiate themselves in the system…and I’m not talking about display. Viral stuff is great, but we’re trying to catch a zephyr.