Viral Video: ‘A video clip that gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or Instant messaging, blogs and other media sharing websites.’ Source: Wikipedia

There was a time when viral video campaigns felt organic and about community and the best ones still work on the principle of getting the message out there. However, the latest crop, to my mind at least, seem to be little more than adverts better suited to a cinema audience than the internet.

The problem seems to be that Ad agencies have gotten involved and that means every increasing budgets and higher expectations. The latest two videos that seem to have taken this approach are both about laptops. I like both, for quite different reasons, but neither strike me as anything other than advertising.

The MSI ‘guy catches laptop in butt’ video has that ’share’ appeal vital to virals as it’s simply a corny joke executed really really well. Everyone finds toilet humour funny on some level and this hits that chord nicely – I’m just not sure how many people will remember which notebook, or brand, it is that’s being advertised. Conversely, the latest Sony S.M.A.A campaign leaves its pay-off until the end – it’s not until you’ve sat through this mini-drama that we get to see it’s for a Sony VAIO after all!

Now, I’m not going to tell anyone how to spend their budgets but as community and sharing information is what we do daily on NokNok, there are far more cost-effective and informative ways to get that message out there. However, if viral video is a key part of getting that message out then one of the more successful, in my mind, of late has been setting the Nokia 3720 Classic in jelly! It’s quick, to the point and really has that viral appeal.

Viral marketing can work and works really well but it shouldn’t be the only part of a marketing campaign, it should compliment the other work you’re carrying out online on a daily basis – that’s the true benefit of community sites.

Nokia 3720 Classic:

Odd as it might seem, I love virals. But before I tell you why, I need to clear up the definition of ‘viral’.

The majority are cynical cries for attention by desperate brands running low on ideas. They’re a last ditch attempt to ‘make some waves,’ ‘create some buzz,’ or otherwise justify their digital expenditure. And then there’s the worst viral crime of all: trying to PR a viral before it’s even born.

PR companies frequently pass viral campaigns to me before making them public. Clearly there’s some hope journalists like myself will feature it early on , garnering the client a few column (or web) inches to serve as proof it has ‘gone viral’ and effectively cancelling the need for all that pesky ‘viral’ stuff in the first place.

On the whole, it’s lazy and it stinks. But now and then there are true flashes of genius. Adobe Flashes of genius if you like, and this week I found my favourite yet.

Looking at it objectively, I should have been disgusted. It’s a mash-up of live Twitter posts, YouTube video and, well, international mourning. All the hallmarks of a company chasing the dragon of ‘marketing buzz.’

But this was a bit different: Created by web application firm 9Astronauts, Billie Tweets is a sort of automated sing-along to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, with the words piped direct from the twitter feeds of social media mavens around the globe. Check it out here. You’ll love it, and I’ll tell you why.

As a creative, it’s very clever. From a technical viewpoint, it’s very clever. And the swift-fingered code ninjas who churned it out in two days flat, well, they’re very clever. But none of those things make this a great viral. That all stems from the shrewd idea behind it.

I’d bet folding money 9Astronauts knew Billie Tweets would perform well before they wrote a single line of code. Its masterminds have cottoned on to Twitter fans’ fondness for spreading news about Twitter, realising they love it almost as much as they love spreading news about a worldwide event or crisis.

This week saw tweeting about such an event on an unprecedented scale, with the death of Michael Jackson. So, neatly and with the speed of a Jacko moonwalk, 9Astronauts married the two.

As I said, it’s an ensemble piece. Great execution, a great idea, and perfect timing. 9Astronauts has the web buzzing over its creation already, and if I wanted a Twitter mashup of my own, I’d be hammering down their door. Not for the technical expertise you understand, but for the online understanding and ideas behind it.

And that’s what good viral marketing is all about: ideas. Not cheesy tie-ins or getting people to pass branded messages to their mates. Just pure, gleeful, undiluted ingenuity. The web seems to relish ideas more than radio or TV ever has. They become part of the collective online consciousness. They delight. They amuse. They engage. And yes, we share them too.

Rather than being an interruption, virals become a destination in their own right, and that’s why they’re the future of good online marketing. Still, think you’ve got a killer campaign? Twitter it. See who passes it on. We’ll soon see how good it really is.