Everybody in the industry hopes for that elusive, big viral hit. There are a lot of theories on how to get to the holy grail of online marketing and one of those is: you only have eight seconds to hook your audience.
So before I lose you, let me first say this: you don’t go viral, you make a viral.
Virals are seen by some as the bubble gum of the marketing world. But there is more substance to the formula – something the likes of agencies Forsman & Bodenfors, Thinkmodo and Duval Guillaume have proved with enviably consistent success. So, how do we do it? Let’s go, I’ll add a few of my own insights to the theories.
Start to come over all emotional
The best ideas come from the gut. When you’re making a viral, don’t look much further than your reflection in the mirror. If there’s one element that connects successful virals, it is being able to emotionally connect to them.
Although we like to think of ourselves as unique human beings, we are all driven by the same biological and psychological triggers. We put ourselves in the situation ‘what would I do?’ and reflect on it automatically. When somebody smiles, we smile back; we can’t help mimicking emotions. And when looking at a viral film, we do exactly the same.
Take the ‘First Kiss’ video – why was it a viral hit? Well, there is universal recognition of the emotion. An exciting tension, a mix of awkwardness and strange arousal, everybody senses it – how would I react? And since it was done so aesthetically, it connected brilliantly.We at SuperHeroes did the same with the first LG ‘So Real it’s Scary’ elevator prank. Everyone recognises an aspect of fear with elevators – the fear that they will break down. So when the floor 'disappears', people watching the film are actually experiencing it. Can you imagine if that actually happened to you?!
Biology and webcamsOnce you have your winning idea and have shot the film, it’s no longer a matter of sit and wait. I don’t actually like the process of pre-testing, popular in TV commercials, as it’s hard to connect to an animatic which lacks all emotional triggers. But post-testing, once you have shot and edited the film, can be hugely useful for a viral. For instance, we’ve used biometric testing from Be On to gauge emotional responses to a video. Here, an audience watches the film on a laptop with the webcam on, and by tracking the individual's facial expressions, we can accurately track how people respond to the video, second by second.We learned a lot from testing. Key to findings? If you want to boost sharing you need to give your film a happiness peak at the end. Don’t end with the logo and tagline. And? Confusion is a good emotion for engagement, it builds the hook. Just to give you an idea of the importance of testing: Volvo’s ‘Epic Split’ – currently notching up over 72m views – was tested and revised five times before they found the ultimate edit and sound.
Mind the momentumTiming is everything. How many times have you heard that? But it’s a valid point, the right momentum can be the difference between one million and 10 million views. We released the first ‘So Real it’s Scary’ elevator prank around Halloween. The 'scary' timing added to the connection of fear, and helped the film to achieve over 22m views. With everybody consuming 'snackable' media, we’ve inadvertently given ourselves the attention span of a gnat. So does your film allow for shorter clips to feature on entertainment programmes and news channels? Achieving this kind of coverage will enhance the 'virality' and reach – something every marketing manager wants to hear. It’s not just bubble gumViral ads are not just funny films, they’re still ads. Your client does not just want laughter or tears, they want to see the ROI. Virals have the potential to push brands to be market leaders. By making clever use of them, LG is now the market leader for IPS monitors. But that’s not just because of the online view count. We’ve witnessed an amazing waterfall effect with virals. The films provide conversation starters for sales reps all over the world – ‘Have you seen how lifelike the image quality is?’ It’s this trickle-down effect in brick-and-mortar and online retail that probably brought most of the sales figures. Now make that viralOver 80 per cent of brand films stay under 10,000 views. But follow this simple formula, and success is near: focus on universal emotions, test a bit, find your momentum and be brave!Good luck. Rogier Vijverberg is founder and executive creative director at SuperHeroes
