Posts Tagged ‘viral’

Was The Prometheus Viral Campaign Successful?

Monday, June 11th, 2012

Prometheus launches into theatres after flying high on a landmark viral campaign

He’s gone from big-screen movie star to a fictitious android in a campaign commercial? Show me that again?

Indie star Michael Fassbender goes viral for Fox’s intense new Prometheus marketing campaign. Fassbender, who plays

the android David in Ridley Scott’s newest sci-fi epic, stares directly into the camera of this “advertisement” because David is ultimately a product of the fictitious Wayland Corporation, the chairman of which is played by Guy Pearce. Of course the trailer intends to generate reboot buzz and not robot buys. This ad was the first of many new advertising techniques employed by Fox to generate interest for the much-hyped film, especially in a viral way.

Guy Pearce, the chairman of the Wayland Corporation appeared in a “talk from the future” dated 2023, to be exact, in another character driven advertisement during TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) this past February.
As recently as May, a viral video of footage, as Magnet Stories suggests, not appearing in the film premiered. The video, entitled “Quiet Eye” and starring another Prometheus mainstay in Noomi Repace, featured a live chat with the film’s screenwriter Damon Lindelof via the hashtag #prometheuslive.At March’s Wondercon, a heavily frequented, annually held comic book and science fiction convention, the first full-length trailer of Prometheus was screened.  Attendees were not the only viewers, however, because the trailer was streamed through online juggernauts such as Facebook and Twitter, which helped it to generate three million views in the first day alone.

And for those U.S. diehards who could not wait for the U.S. premiere of the film, June 1st provided another virtual preview of the film. The red carpet UK premiere was streamed on Verizon’s FiOS Facebook page.

A slew of videos featuring various stars of the epic invaded conventions and conferences alike—all in an attempt to tease hopeful filmgoers with one-on-one glimpses of Prometheus’ many characters. Viewers got multiple shots, literally, of what was to come through viral mediums that suggest a different breed of film marketing. Fox, as Magnet Stories noted, took a page of its hugely successful Hunger Games campaign and produced original content that highlight, one at a time, certain characters of Scott’s film.
According to Yahoo! Movies, Prometheus, which opened in 3,396 theaters, garnered $50 million and earned second place behind Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Boxofficeguru.com claims that this weekend, Prometheus’ opening weekend, was the biggest opening weekend for a R-rated movie in 2012.

What do you think? Did the intense marketing campaign and $130-million production tag pay off?
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Social Engagement Skyrockets with “Memes”

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

As social marketing for business becomes more necessary with the rapid growth of social media channels, we often hear the phrase “Content is King”. While traditional marketing on Facebook and Twitter may help reach business goals through sales and customer following, there is a different kind of content that sets companies apart on social media and elicits more user engagement. This content involves the creation of memes- a cultural element passed from person to person. These can be viral videos, animated gifs, trending catchphrases, mash-ups of content, etc. While memes may be irrelevant to your business objectives, they spark user interest and can help a company become noticed.

Social media revolves around viral interactions, and the more users see and share your content, the more engagement your company will gain. Users share the content that makes them react, because they know their friends will have similar reactions. A meme can be anything from a funny image:

Or a funny video promoting something. For example, Wonderful Pistachios teamed up with meme-maker Randall from The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger to develop a new commercial. In the original video, Randall  narrated a video of a honey badger in a very funny way. The video’s viral success reached over 40 million views on YouTube.

The key to using memes for social engagement is understanding your audience’s tastes and sense of humor and making the content relevant to your audience. Another great example of a meme is the ‘Sh*t girls say’ video, which spurred a variety of similar videos that pick on certain stereotypes. All in good fun of course! So next time your company Facebook page is lacking in user engagement, create a funny meme, or share one you like, and I guarantee you’ll get a few laughs (and more importantly, viral shares!).

 

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Revolution of Social Media: Kony 2012

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Two days ago, Invisible Children released a video highlighting the abuse committed by Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lords’ Resistance Army (LRA) in central Africa, becoming one of the most viral video campaigns the world has ever seen.

Invisible Children, a movement dedicated to ending conflict in Uganda,  created a call to action,  aiming to raise awareness by making Joseph Kony famous. Because of Invisible Children’s work to raise awareness of his injustice over the past 10 years,  Barack Obama signed the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. These acts committed the United States to help bring down Kony and his rebel army. However, in order to continue the search and fight against Kony, Invisible Children must raise support for his arrest amongst people throughout the world.

The documentary,  produced by filmmaker Jason Russel, has over 7 million views, is trending on Twitter, and is inviting thousands to join the movement on Facebook. When I watched the video, in a span of 30 minutes, 4,000 comments were made. The Invisible Children organization has strategically garnered the strength of social media to carry their campaign to the top of the news. Russel emphasizes the strength of social media by noting that 200 years ago, the population of the world was equal to the amount of people on Facebook today. This online platform connects the entire world in one community, and in Kony’s case, unites people for the common good of humankind.

Another tactic Invisible Children is using to gain support against Kony is by involving key celebrities that hold social influence. George Clooney appears in the documentary saying Kony deserves the same amount of spotlight in the media that celebrities have.  A twitter campaign targeting celebrities and influential figures launched last night using the hashtag #STOPKONY.

The video does an amazing job of eliciting an emotional response from it’s viewers. It tells the story of Jacob, a Ugandan boy who describes the death of his brother and fears of being abducted by Kony’s  Army. Russel also uses his toddler son to evoke emotion, by telling him about Kony and the harm he’s done to Jacob’s people. Scary visuals are shown of horrible mutilation done to victims, children hiding out in fear and the children captured by Kony who are forced to kill their families. The documentary leaves viewers feeling empowered and uplifted, because with their support, the fight against Kony can finally end.

The movement encourages supports to to buy action kit/bracelets, make a donation, and sign the pledge against Kony. Also, they are promoting “Cover the Night” in cities around the world on April 20 in a campaign to plaster cities with posters, stickers and banners supporting the arrest of Kony.

The viral phenomenon that Kony 2012 has sparked reveals the true power of social media. Without these platforms, there is no way the world could efficiently raise awareness to support this necessary cause. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are helping shape human history, in greater ways than we could ever imagine.

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Lip-Syncing Keenan Cahill’s Newest Viral Video

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Keenan Cahill, the newest person to gain celebrity through YouTube, has a new video featuring cast members from the show “Glee.”  Published just a week ago, the video already has over 1 million views.  Apparently, viewers don’t care that he doesn’t learn the lyrics to the songs he performs.

Keenan Cahill is a sixteen-year-old from Illinois who has had a rare genetic disease, Maroteaux Lamy Syndrome, since birth.  Some symptoms of the metabolic disorder include growth retardation, coarsening facial features, and joint stiffness.  Cahill is always happy to answer questions about his disease when people are curious about the way he looks.  He has raised awareness about the disease through his celebrity, and has become a role model for children suffering with rare diseases.

Cyber bullying is always a problem when someone shares themselves on the Internet, so of course there have been people that have tried to shake Cahill’s confidence.  Cahill has said that “he doesn’t mind that his YouTube channel makes him an easy target for criticism.”  Some people simply wish he would learn the lyrics to songs, but others are more hurtful.  Cahill takes it all in stride, advising others facing similar challenges “not to let anyone get you down about the disease” and “remember that you’re your own person.”

Cahill’s YouTube channel has had over 23 million views and he has collaborated with many celebrities on his videos, including 50 Cent, DJ Pauly D from Jersey Shore, and Drake Bell.  He also starred in a viral campaign for Smartwater with Jennifer Aniston and appeared on E!’s “Chelsea Lately.”  As for the future, Cahill doesn’t really like to talk about it. Cahill hopes to become an actor and has a reality show in the works, and is having a blast entertaining and inspiring everyone.

What do you think of Cahill’s videos?  Has he inspired you?

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The McHoax of the Weekend

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Over the weekend, McDonald’s became the target of an online hoax on Twitter when a fake picture on TwitPic went viral as the accompanying hashtag #seriouslymcdonalds began trending.  The picture was a fake notice saying “African-American customers are now required to pay an additional fee of $1.50 per transaction.”

There are now many people wondering who actually fell for this hoax, since the sign is obviously not real and apparently the picture first surfaced online over a year ago.  But let me tell you something: I fell for it.  Browsing through my Twitter timeline on Saturday, a friend tweeted, “Is this even legal?  Isn’t this a form of racism?” with a link to the picture.  After reading the sign myself, I was in disbelief.  I love my McDonald’s more than nutritionists would approve of, and couldn’t believe they would be this publicly insensitive.  I contemplated for a little while whether it was real or not, and gave in to gullibility.  And yes, I admit, I retweeted it.

Looking back on the prank now, I can’t believe I thought it was real.  First of all, upon closer inspection of the picture, the sign doesn’t even look real.  The sign is posted sloppily with masking tape…on the outside of the door. On top of that, no worldwide corporation would actually do this; it would be too detrimental to business.  In forums and on Twitter, many people were announcing that they were boycotting McDonald’s or would never eat there again.  And the best tip-off: the 800 number on the sign is actually the number to a KFC customer satisfaction hotline.  McDonald’s has released official statements and taken to Twitter to combat the bad publicity.

Did anyone else see this over the weekend?  Did you fall for it, or were you smarter than me?  What are your thoughts on the incident?

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The World’s Most Exclusive Website

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

And you thought E3 was hard to get into? Well it is…but maybe you’ll have more luck getting into the world’s most exclusive website…or not. TheWorldsMostExclusiveWebsite.com is the latest viral marketing creation employing the use of the social networking site, Twitter.

There are 10 doors people can progress through, but only if they have enough Twitter followers and the number increases as they go on, starting at 5,000 followers for Door #2. Currently, Ryan Seacrest, has come the farthest by stopping at Door #7 which requires 5 million followers.  Contenders to make it all the way through are Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga with over 10 million followers each.

And contrary to some other articles, the site is no longer “hackable”, so you’ll have to get in the old fashioned way…through the front door…that is if you can make it.

To even get through the door, you must have a verified Twitter account which has a little blue check to signify that you are “important”. Apparently, I don’t have one because this message popped up when I tried to sign in: “Verified Twitter accounts are reserved for the famous or otherwise socially significant.”

Ouch! That was a blow to my fragile ego. Now that I am emotionally vulnerable, what shall I do to make myself feel better? Thankfully they redirected me to a “slightly less discriminating destination” which happened to be… the Olive Garden homepage.

Because fattening up on endless soup, salad and bread sticks will boost my self esteem and increase my social status.  Well played, Olive Garden.

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