Viral Videos and Campaigns – What Makes Them Stick?

When this " target="_blank">video link (I am sure you must have got it in your inbox considering how fast the video is getting circulated) dropped in my first reaction was – ‘not another promotion by a fashion brand or some sale!’

Since it came as a forwarded e-mail I did a double take to ensure I wasn’t missing something. A Fevicol ad? They have always been known for " target="_blank">cool campaigns in the past. Was this better?

Guess the timing also played an important role. Around lunch hour and I could possibly spare a couple of minutes looking at this video. Shut it in case I didn’t like it. It had some 14,000 views by the time it reached me.

Much has been written about viral campaigns and the secret recipe that make people open links and engage or pass on content to others who matter.

With this viral campaign Fevicol blends the best of both worlds – coaxing people to experience their product’s ‘strength’ and then capturing the reactions to be shared widely.

What did they do right?

Simple idea: Demonstrating strength of a product or a service especially when it isn’t easily believable requires great ideas. The simplicity of the idea is what makes the campaign stick. It invites users to interact and breaks their ‘schema’.

Focused on product benefit: The video could have been about client testimonials, competitor bashing or a direct promotion. By getting unsuspecting shoppers in a mall to ‘freely’ shop.

Use of video as a medium: Video is one of the most popular ways to view content in India especially and Fevicol’s campaign took the right path.

What can Fevicol do more to improve this specific campaign?

There are opportunities to crowdsource better product solutions, seek feedback to get better attention to their products and be able to even extend the campaign by asking viewers newer perspectives. The ‘free store idea needs to extend to all elements of their social media mix.

For example, they can provide a new twist to the campaign and invite people to discuss ‘integration’ or ‘bonding’ in terms of community building. A topic on every mind in India at this point in time. That will add a whole new perspective to the brand.

When I checked last the video drew 1, 89,000 views and over 800 likes. Very good progress indeed in a span of a few days.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not reflect the views of the organization he works for.