Let’s face it, every brand wants a piece of that social media gold: the coveted viral content. We have clients ask us all the time if we can make their stuff “go viral,” and our answer is of course, as long as the content is strategic!
Going viral is one of those buzz phrases that you hear people throwing around. It sounds great to shoot for 28 million views in a day, but when the goal of going viral clouds the marketing strategy, it could actually have the opposite affect for your brand.
If you were online at all in the last few days, then you probably heard something about the Strangers Kissing Video. Let me ask you something- do you know what brand made that video? Probably not. This is because poorly branded; off strategy content regardless of reach, just doesn’t work. I will say though, despite the fact that there isn’t a clear strategy, I did like it. 28 million views on Youtube in just a few days is impressive and shouldn’t be overlooked! For the record- the company who made the video is “Wren,” a high end clothing brand.
All too often we find marketing 101 being brushed aside side in order to shine in the social media spotlight. Just because something is social, doesn’t mean that it can be void of all strategy. If you are looking to create a great piece of online content, go back to the basics and ask yourself: what are our marketing objectives and goals, and does this content help us reach them? If the answer is yes, then go for it! If you have to ask whether or not the content is strategic, then it is time to go back to the drawing board.
If you want to see a viral video that has clear strategy- check out the Motorola “Lazy Phone” series.
