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Singing kitty scores viral hit for Wieden + Kennedy & Three Mobile

By Mel Peck |

February 26, 2014 | 6 min read

Video data compiled by the VAN team

Top trending viral ad campaigns:

Three Mobile has had some classic viral hits on its hands of late. Now, the phone network has followed up the tremendous success of its moonwalking pony with another all singing, all dancing musical sensation – this time it’s a cute kid and a talented kitty that are whipping the interweb up into a frenzy.The ad, which was created by Wieden + Kennedy, features a little girl and her pet cat riding around on a pink bike, (kitty safely tucked into the basket at the front), whilst singing along to the tune of Starship’s 80’s power anthem, ‘We Built This City’.
Based on the tag line, ‘We all need silly stuff’, the ad spot continues Three’s campaign to get the nation sharing fun online content. It’s a smart example of a brand showing how it understands its market by playing on the fact that mobile phone users love to share funny, random stuff online and what could be better than the combination of cats and cute kids?My favourite part of the campaign is the #SingItKitty app that allows fans to create their own kitten-smitten, free-wheeling music video, with themselves as the star. I have to admit, we’ve had loads of fun playing about with this in the office, (check out the ladies of VAN rocking their perms to a bit of 80’s soft rock). It’s a genius way to get followers engaged with the campaign and sharing the content with friends and the video has already clocked up over 3 million views.

Continuing the social sharing theme this week (albeit from a somewhat different angle) is Coke, with an amusing new product: the Social Media Guard.The faux-campaign criticises social media, urging people to put down their phones and spend time with friends in the real world. It features a giant red lampshade collar, (much like those used by vets to stop animals from picking at their stitches), designed to stop wearers from checking their phone every 5 seconds.According to the ad, ‘The world spends 4 million years online every month’. It goes on to say, ‘If you're watching this video on your mobile phone, it's time to put it down. Look around you, there is probably someone special you can share a real moment with. Enjoy it with an ice-cold Coke’.Ironically enough, the video has had nearly 4 million online views and over 95,000 shares across Facebook and Twitter.

Also trending this week is a moving campaign from Norwegian Children’s charity, SOS-Barnebyer. Using hidden cameras, the video reveals the reactions of passers by as they come across a freezing boy waiting in the snow at a bus stop. The social experiment shows them handing over gloves, scarves and coats in an effort to keep the shivering child warm, making for a heart-warming demonstration of the kindness of strangers. The ad spot ends with an appeal for donations to children in Syria who are also struggling with the cold. It's a nice way to get people thinking and it's already received nearly 12.5 million views and over 100 thousand shares.

Top trending UGC and entertainment videos:

Over in the UGC Chart, Jimmy Kimmel has been up to more online mischief. Remember that epic twerking disaster video that went viral back in September? The hot girl that ended up setting herself on fire in the ultimate YouTube fail clip. It was released at the perfect time, right when the world was still reeling from Miley Cyrus’ infamous VMA performance and twerking was big news across social media. The video received widespread coverage, being picked up by news stations all over the world, only for Kimmel to reveal that it was actually an elaborate prank set up by The Tonight Show.Well, this week he’s at it again. There’s been a lot of news coverage and social media chat about various problems with the Olympic Village at Sochi recently, including shoddy building work and stray dogs making their way into buildings. The latest story to go viral is a sighting of a wolf that was spotted in the corridor outside an athlete’s hotel room. The clip was uploaded to YouTube and as expected immediately started trending. You can probably guess what comes next… yep, it was just another joke by The Tonight Show. You can check out Jimmy Kimmel’s big reveal video below.

Elsewhere in the listings, there’s a but of a rap music theme this week; Jimmy Fallon has unveiled the latest instalment in his five-part series about the history of rap, this time featuring a cameo from Justin Timberlake.

Also trending is a hilarious parody mash up of American newsreader, Brian Williams, singing along to The Sugar Hill Gang's classic ‘Rappers Delight’. Plus, an amazing tongue twister rap from popular YouTuber, Mac Lethal.

Squeak Of The Week:

Here’s an adorably cute video of a dog who’s pretty damn terrible at playing catch!

Join the #KittenCamp Snackz mailing list for weekly updates on top trending videos and follow @JoinVAN for the latest viral gossip and industry news!Mel Peck

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