As anyone else in the digital media world can attest to, our clients want to "go viral." This doesn't necessarily mean they even understand what they're asking, but they know they want it - Just like they want 100K fans on their Facebook page. Many things need to be in alignment in order for a video to go viral, and one of those things is luck. You all probably know the Jennifer Aniston video for Smart Water that made a mockery of viral videos, and subsequently went viral. Though this video is awful in every way, it succeeded by having core elements in play. A celebrity, money behind it to make it look professional, and a ton of PR.
But, as the cartoon points out, most of us don't have videos that will go far past the fungal state. Lack of imagination from the client perspective, lack of funds, no solid vision for what the video should look lie, and the smacking of heads between creative shops, PR and big Media, are only a handful of barriers along the way. Couple this with brands wanting a huge bang with minimal spend, and you have set the stage for high expectations and the pressure to go along with it.
To quote Jim Meskauskas, VP - Director of Online Media at ICON International, INC, "Viral marketing isn't a strategy. It's not even a tactic. Viral is a possible outcome that brings an unplanned life to a piece of advertising." Amazingly well-put. For something to catch and spread like a virus, there is a large piece of luck. Something we cannot plan towards and align a guarantee too. All we can do is build a strategy around the dissemination of our content, and make sure our content is catchy, stylistically sound, and backed by a spend that will place it in the front of the right eyes. Even then, however, it may not catch.
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