2008 has been a wild ride of a year, hasn't it? Social media has really started coming into its own, and everyone wanted to create something "viral" (including those of us in online marketing). So, as 2008 comes to a close, I'd like to reflect back on some of the viral videos that caught my attention in the marketing and social media sphere.
#10: 8 Bad Words Which Cause Sales Suicide
I came across this video from copywriter extraordinaire Trevor Crook back in July. It's really informative, and has served as a go-to resource for my own copy writing. A great example of how video can be an effective medium for disseminating valuable information.
#9: Email Standards Project - Gmail Grimaces
What's great about this video is that it shows something that we as marketers and web designers can (possibly) relate to - the agony of designing an email for Gmail. Even though I'm not a designer, I've experienced this together with a designer I worked with. It sends a powerful message while keeping things lighthearted at the same time.
#8: Facebook In Reality
As we all ponder what the future of social media will be like, it helps to take a look at it from a different standpoint to get ourselves grounded in offline real-life. This hilarious video did that for me.
#7: Link Building 101 Rap
I love this video. Like the Gmail Grimaces video, it takes a subject we all know and love and frames it in a humorous, fun way.
#6: Ben Stiller's Viral Video
Leave it to Ben Stiller to parody the phenomenon of viral videos - by creating a viral video about the making of a viral video for his summer blockbuster, Tropic Thunder. To me, this is pure genius and one of the funniest videos I've seen this year.
#5: The Downfall - The Age of Conversation
Speaking of movies, the German film Downfall (about the downfall of the Third Reich) has been used many times this year as the backdrop of several parodies - especially since it's entirely in German and any subtitles can be inserted. This is exactly what was done to promote the book The Age of Conversation and get across the idea of using social media to engage in customer conversation - and quite cleverly, I might add.
#4: Social Media & Ice Cream
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This is yet another great example of a video that puts a topic (like social media) into a context that everyone can understand - ice cream. If more brick & mortar businesses could watch this and understand how social media can be used to their advantage, they could be generating more offline sales through online marketing.
#3: Chris Brogan - Open Invitation for All of You
I've never met Chris in person, but after watching this video, I really want to. See, this goes to show how video can add personality and transparency to your business, and allow your customers to get to know the person behind the logo - and there's nothing wrong with that.
#2: You Oughta Know Inbound Marketing
This video from HubSpot works just like the Link Building 101 Rap in that it conveys valuable information in a lighthearted, relatable way - Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know. I guarantee you won't be able to get that song out of your head for days.
#1: AC/DC Rock N Roll Train Video
How do you get your music video through corporate firewalls and onto the computer screens of your office-bound fans? By embedding it into an Excel spreadsheet, of course! This is an absolutely brilliant viral campaign, not just for the video itself, but because of the innovative and clever method by which is was distributed.
