viral

Best of 2013: Corporate YouTube Videos

I donā€™t think thereā€™s anything I enjoy more about December than the inevitable ā€œbest of insert year hereā€ lists that pop up. Oh wait there is one thing I enjoy more ā€“ collating the lists myself!

Here in the Copywriting department, we love poring over the exciting offerings from companies across the world and so weā€™ve compiled a list of what we think are the Top 10 Creative Videos from companies in 2013.

Some are clever, some are funny and some are downright astounding (hereā€™s looking at you Volvo). While your marketing budget might not stretch to include Jean Claude Van Damme riding atop trucks, these videos still show you whatā€™s possible when you combine the awesome powers of video, the internet and a little left-of-centre thinking.

10. LG:Ā  LG Ultra HD 84ā€ TV Prank

– A very sharable example of the stunning visuals delivered by the Korean companyā€™s new TV.

 

9. Evian: Baby & Me

– While being borderline creepy, this weird ad notched up an impressive 67 million views after being launched in April.

 

8. Audi: Zachary Quinto vs. Leonard Nimoy: ā€œThe Challengeā€

This copywriter found out about this chuckle-worthy video from her Star Trek loving Dad. And if Star Trek loving dads are sharing it, you know itā€™s hit the nail on the head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPkByAkAdZs

 

7. CarrieNYC: Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise

– The marketers of the 2013 recreation of Carrie created a unique way to build online excitement about the film and manage to terrify some NYC coffee-shop goers in the process.

 

6. Dove: Dove Real Beauty Sketches

– A simple, but heart-breakingly effective message is delivered in this video which was shared by women and men across the globe.

5. PooPourri: Girls Donā€™t Poop

– While the Copywriting Department debated if this product was for real, this video was quietly racking up 20 million views.

 

4. WestJet: WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving

– A late entry just in time for Christmas, this video demonstrates how easily a video can go viral when you tug at peopleā€™s heartstrings ā€“ 16 million views in three days ainā€™t bad.

 

3. Virgin America: Virgin America Safety Video

– Way to reinvent the wheel Virgin America! Iā€™m going to think about this video every single time Iā€™m on a plane now and wish I was on a Virgin America flight instead.

 

2. Kmart: Ship My Pants

– Got some news you want to let your customers know about? Make a funny video and get YouTube to do the work for you! Kmart did and boy oh boy did this video get a workout in the Copywriting Department.

 

1. Volvo Trucks: Volvo Trucks – The Epic Split feat. Van Damme (Live Test 6)

– Just watch it. Like right now.

 

– Sophie

Video and your marketing strategy: a match made in online heaven.

What was the last video you watched on YouTube? Perhaps it was highlights from the EPL soccer game you missed on the weekend. Maybe it was the film clip for Rihannaā€™s latest chart topping/scandal inducing hit. Maybe it was even that massively cute video of the emotional baby. Whatever it was, youā€™re now a member of the ever-increasing online community which is embracing video as a quick, simple and massively effective means of communication. So good on you!

So why is it important to know what YouTube video you watched last? Well I want to explain to you how simple it is to use video as part of your successful marketing campaign.

Letā€™s have a little look at Pepsi.

Pepsi is a multi-billion dollar company which relies heavily on celebrity endorsement of its product but theyā€™re also fairly cluey about this whole online video thing. In 2012, Pepsi released the first of their Uncle Drew videos. In the video the character of Uncle Drew, an older gentleman, heads down to his local basketball court and joins in a game when someone gets injured. The real kicker? Uncle Drew is actually NBA superstar Kyrie Irving. Uncle Drewā€™s unwitting opponents are dumbfounded when he absolutely wipes the floor with them. Big deal right? Well the first Uncle Drew video has notched 28 million views. Thatā€™s 28 million potential consumers whoā€™ve seen Pepsiā€™s logo associated with a video they like. When the latest Uncle Drew video was released social media was abuzz with excitement. The video started appearing on Facebook feeds, Twitter feeds, on reddit, everywhere!Uncle Drew

Whatā€™s my point? Well rather than spending millions of dollars on paying for advertising that only a determined number of people will see, Pepsi have managed to capatalise on the effectiveness of having your consumers sharing your advertisements for you. Having a consumer share your video adds credibility to it and now 28 million people have cemented Pepsiā€™s position as a leader in online marketing.

Itā€™s not just corporations jumping on this train. Degage Ministries is an American not-for-profit organisation which aims to help homeless and disadvantaged individuals. They recently engaged the services of filmmaker Rob Bliss to make a video about the transformation of a homeless veteran into a well-presented go-getter aiming to get his life on track. The simple video has now racked up 12 million YouTube views and is making headlines on news websites across the internet. 12 million people now know who Degage Ministries are and Rob Bliss Creative have exposed themselves to an incredibly large audience.

The beauty of video as a marketing tool lies in its simplicity as a medium and its sharability. A viewer only has to move their mouse mere centimetres and click a few buttons to share it with their online network and the credibility this can add to your business is close to priceless. In terms of content, video is a marketerā€™s dream because it can say so much in such a short time.

So what does that mean for you? Well making videos might not be as simple as sharing them. And thatā€™s where you have to start trusting other people.

Here at Messages On Hold weā€™re tremendously excited about a new venture weā€™ve launched called VideoUpdate.me.Ā  Weā€™ve been on this video train for a few years now and we want other businesses to start enjoying the benefits of adding video to their marketing strategies.

Our On The Money series of videos which focus on accounting and finance are already being sent out from accounting firms across Australia, helping these businesses tell their clients the latest news in the industry and actually engaging them at a more sophisticated level.

Every business should have something to say about itself and if you can tell that to potential clients through video you never know just how many people might end up seeing it.

– Sophie

The Element of Surprise; Surprisingly Easy

Do you remember the good old days when you didnā€™t have to pump your own petrol? I donā€™t, because I was born in the nineties. But Iā€™ve heard great things about those pre-World Wide Web times; milk delivered to your door step, corner shops where the shopkeeper knew your name, bank tellers that were neither automatic nor machines. But those little customer service quirks have gone the way of the dinosaur and the human race has evolved to have lowered expectations to help cope with this changing climate.

My generation is getting used to poor customer service to a point where we donā€™t even know what weā€™re missing out on. Weā€™re desensitized to video game violence and waiters who wonā€™t make eye-contact. While this may make us an apathetic lot, it also makes us strangely easy to surprise.

A bar in Perth recently announced it was going to go against the norm and sell coffee for $2.50. Big whoop. But in Perth, this is newsworthy because weā€™ve been subjected to coffee thatā€™s on average 40 cents more expensive than the rest of the country.

So why not take advantage of these lowered expectations and surprise your disgruntled customers with some good old fashion service? Your customers will either react like this guy (watch the video, Iā€™ll wait here until youā€™re done) or theyā€™ll be so surprised by the interaction that it will become an anecdote shared by word of mouth or across social media.

The Interaction

The Interaction

There are many examples of customers making waves across social media, some good, and some bad. One positive example is the story of the Dragon and the Kangaroo. When the Galaxy SIII was released a man asked Samsung Canada for a free one and attached a picture of a dragon he had drawn for them.Ā  Samsung apologised to the man, stating that they could not afford to send everyone a new phone who asked. Pretty run of the mill response, except for one interesting addition; they complimented his dragon and gave him a drawing of a kangaroo on a unicycle in return.

The man was charmed, took a screenshot of the conversation and posted it on Reddit with the caption ā€œWell, Samsung Canada has won me overā€. The image went viral and Samsung Canada gained the image of a cool, laidback and friendly company.Ā  But then they took one step further. As a token of their appreciation for the positive media, they sent the man a one of a kind Samsung Galaxy SIII customised with his drawing of the dragon. (And of course, that photo made the rounds online as well).

The Payoff

The Payoff

Now Iā€™m not suggesting you dish out free products to your customers, but they are likely to be surprised by outstanding customer service. Theyā€™ll also want to tell their friends. So take advantage of Generation Yā€™s careful combination of lower expectations and desire to share every life event online. You never know what will go viral.

– Emily

Going Viral

Itā€™s that time of year where we head to our local GP for our flu vaccines, stock up on vitamin C and three ply tissues and get ready for the onslaught of colds and flues that will undoubtedly sweep through our workplaces. Just like these viruses, viral videos spread quickly and of their own accord, which makes them excellent marketing vehicles for those with small budgets.

Here at Messages On Hold weā€™ve enjoyed great success with viral marketing.Frame Your Mate,Ā Worldā€™s Greatest Business Mind,Ā Australia 2010 ElectionandĀ Warnieā€™s Words of WisdomĀ have literally amassed millions of views. Naturally, this is great for our branding and getting our name out there. But you donā€™t need millions of views for your viral video to be ranked a huge success.

According to the articleĀ Secret Sauce: What Does It Take to Create a Viral Video?Ā your viral video needs just 10,000 views to be classed as a grade A. Interestingly, itā€™s not just the number of views that classes a video as viral, but how quickly and easily it gets shared. For other insights, and some great tips on coming up with catchy concepts for videos that go ā€˜viralā€™, check it outĀ here.

And finally, if you really want your video to spread in the time it takes to say ā€˜cold and flu tabletsā€™, check out our efforts under the heading ā€œViral Videosā€here.