The question isn’t whether it’s possible for an ad campaign to go viral. For evidence that it can be done – and done in a big way – just take a look at what Old Spice has accomplished. As of this writing, their total upload views on YouTube are over 72 million! The question is: what does it take to make a video campaign go viral? A large percentage of online videos that have gone viral weren’t planned that way and weren’t advertising any product. “Inspired Bicycles” with over 18 million views and “Free Hugs” with more than 60 million views are good examples. Those videos define what it means to go viral. People see a video and love it, so they pass it to their friends, who pass it to their friends, and before you know it, millions have seen it. But how can a company duplicate these results? HP thinks they’ve got it figured out. They know that it takes a certain kind of campaign to go viral, so their first video in the “Make It Big” series has all the elements in it.
Here’s the video:
You can’t say this video is incredibly moving, or powerful, but it does have some great elements to it. Let’s look at what HP has included to make this video a good viral video candidate:
1. The Cool Factor – If you want a video to go viral, this is must-have element. You have to make people laugh, tug at their emotions, or at least make them say, “Wow! That was cool!” The HP video fulfils these criteria in a couple of ways: First, the toy cars and track turning into a life-sized track and cars is pretty cool. Secondly, when the guy’s daughter whispers, “That’s my dad,” it invokes a sense of pride, as a parent who has accomplished something special. HP’s target audience is entrepreneurs, so they probably did some research that showed them one reason people want to succeed as entrepreneurs is to leave a legacy for their children.
2. Focused Targeting – As mentioned, HP’s Make It Big campaign is targeted at entrepreneurs who have small to medium sized businesses. The guy in this video is typical of such an entrepreneur, because he’s about the age of the majority of these entrepreneurs, and people that age often have kids, so it’s no coincidence that there’s a family-oriented focus. Obviously tons of women are entrepreneurs, and in general, entrepreneurs come in all shapes, sizes and age groups, most of us can identify to some degree with the guy in the video and his situation, at least to some extent.
3. Element of Mystery – When you see the video for the first time, it’s not clear exactly what it’s all about. While it might seem like a bad idea to keep your audience guessing, it’s actually a great technique for hooking people into watching and paying closer attention. For proof, just look to TV shows like Lost, where they’ve taken the “keep ‘em guessing” factor to new levels with tremendous success. The look on the faces of the kids when you know they’re amazed but don’t know why is a great use of this element.
So will HP’s video campaign go viral? We’ll have to wait and see, but they’re on the right track (no pun intended). What’s your opinion? Does HP’s campaign have what it takes? If you were advising them, what would you do? Share in the comments.
