Prankvertising has become one of the new industry buzzwords of 2013. But with the ever-increasing number of brands using elaborate hidden camera stunts to capture the attention of the internet, advertisers really have to step up their game if they want to get their videos noticed.
We want even more terror, hilarity and down right cringeable scenarios and if a campaign can bring an unsuspecting member of the public to their knees and leave them weeping on the floor in terror, then great, it’s ticked the box! That’s exactly the effect LG was going for in its latest prank stunt to demonstrate the clarity of the brand’s new HD technology.
Imagine the scenario… You turn up at a job interview, all nervous and desperate to impress. Whilst you listen attentively to your potential new boss explaining the ins and outs of the company, you suddenly notice an apocalyptic scene unfolding through the window. A giant meteor hurtles towards the city, blasting the buildings to smithereens and sending the room crashing into darkness. As you crawl around the floor trying to figure out what the hell just happened, suddenly all the lights come on and the TV crew burst in having a good old laugh at your expense. It was all just a joke to demonstrate the impressive HD clarity of the new LG TV monitor.
Ok, it’s not exactly a new format. Heineken’s unorthodox hidden camera job interviews to find a new intern became a viral sensation back in February, and last year, LG used a similar technique to convince unsuspecting lift passengers that the floor was collapsing. Nevertheless, the ad does a nice job of reinforcing the LG ‘Ultra Reality’ message. My only problem is that I can’t quite believe someone couldn’t tell the different between a TV and a window, surely the light would be totally different! Perhaps my years of working in viral advertising may have made me overly sceptical. But real or fake, it gets you thinking about the product’s advantages in a fun way. And with over 8 million views and counting, it’s gone straight to the top of the Viral Chart this week.
Entering the listings in second place, with over 5 million views since it was released last week, is the Guinness Wheelchairs Basketball Commercial. The ad, produced by New York based BBDO, is part of the brand’s ‘Made of More’ campaign, designed to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit.Featuring a group of guys playing wheelchair basketball, the heartwarming video manages to capture the essence of friendship with an unexpected twist at the end. After the game they head off to the pub for a pint, but with the exception of just one guy they all stand up and walk. Throw in some typically moving background music and the voice of a silver tonged narrator and it makes for quite a poignant little piece.Beer brands tend to be renowned for producing stereotypically masculinized campaigns, focusing around sports, women or juvenile jokes so it’s nice to see a brand doing something a bit different.
Over in the UGC Chart I’m afraid we’re STILL going on about twerking (sorry)! If you spend any time on YouTube, by now you’ve probably already seen ‘Worst Twerk Fail EVER’. The video of a girl falling into a table and catching on fire while attempting to film herself twerking, was uploaded last week and instantly went viral.You could call it an epic stroke of luck that such a classic comedy fail just happened to be caught on camera and uploaded to YouTube at the exact time when the world was still reeling from Miley Cyrus’ outrageous VMA performance. But as always, conspiracy theorists had their doubts. Last week, debate raged across the internet about whether the video was real or fake and now the verdict has finally come in… yes, it was a fake!The truth came out on Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel show when the host revealed that "Caitlin”, the woman who supposedly posted the video to YouTube, is really a stuntwoman called Daphne Avalon. Actually the clip was produced by the show, who set the whole thing up as part of an elaborate social experiment to see if it would go viral, which it did, big time!The video was picked up by news affiliates across the country and received extensive coverage online, clocking up over 11 million views and counting. It was uploaded to YouTube using a fake account allegedly belonging to the girl involved, but Kimmel made it clear that the show did nothing at all to promote the video other than sit back and watch the views roll in.
As a case study in how to manufacture a viral smash hit it’s pretty interesting. The video could easily have disappeared into oblivion online but within 24 hours the internet was lapping it up. Its success can be explained by a delicate balance of timing and effective viral sharing triggers as Brad Morrison, the show’s director went on to explain. “Miley's performance at the VMAs had everyone talking about twerking, and my video--that looked very real--featured a very convincing twerking fail that ended with a cute girl catching on fire. Who wouldn't want to watch that? And people arguing over whether it was real or not just added fuel to the flames.”If you want to find out more about how the whole thing was orchestrated there’s an interview that goes into all the details on the Fast Company website. It makes for a pretty interesting read.Also trending this week is quite possibly the best animal themed music video you will ever see – FACT! Strictly speaking this isn’t actually in the Viral Chart, (because we don’t feature music videos). But since it is so amazingly awesome I’m including it for you as a special treat. It’s already being described as possibly the next Gangnam Style or Harlem Shake so watch this space for a barrage of tribute videos and copycat dance routines that will no doubt follow soon!
