Among the multiple innovations the internet introduced to the field of marketing, there is no doubt that the most entertaining one is the viral video.
Video sharing, which started as what seemed to be a teen fad, exploded into the
primary content trend offered online today. And where the creative juices are flowing, it doesn't take long for advertisers to jump in and join the current.
A huge part of the popular viral videos of the past were amateur stuff featuring home videos that range from funny to shocking. Everybody's pet became a video star. But along with professionally produced material such as tv sketches and music videos, banned tv ads that started popping online were the first seed for commercial videos made straight for the internet. At first, when the videos or their links used to be spread in emails, spam guards and size limits slowed down the process, but video sharing giants like YouTube made the world a stage – the most accessible stage we ever had.
Most people flip tv channels when the commercial break is on, so what makes them tune in voluntarily?
Internet videos are usually bolder, edgier, and more creative, and the people who make them are internet users themselves who take active part in video sharing communities; internet marketing companies who create viral videos understand the medium intimately and the truth in its core – that author and audience had never been closer, and in fact interchangeable. The fact that the person watching your video now is the author of the video you'll be watching in a few minutes is the basis of genuine respect for the viewer. Internet ads don't pound their commercial message with a hammer, or spoon feed us. They have to be more sophisticated and entertaining, because switching off is much easier.
Commercial viral videos are the best marketing strategy out there today to create brand awareness. What could be better than having people recommending your commercial to their friends? And with a wide range of video upload websites, you can publish your vision for free. That's right,
who needs to pay for air time when you've got web time?
To make it work in media sharing communities, your video needs to be interesting and surprising, and keep a high quality standard of image. People will tolerate the most grained and disrupted streaming from amateurs, but
the pros have to deliver great graphics and processional work as seen in this funny and provocative internet commercial, The Interrogation
Money Casino: The Interrogation . But it doesn't stop there, before the video runs on its own you need to give it a hand,
by networking with other members on your video sharing community to reach more exposure. Internet marketing companies usually devote considerable resources for this purpose, and rightly so.
The archives of sharing sites are already packed with millions of videos stored, but as long as there are people out there looking for laughs, interest and some entertainment, your audience is waiting for you.
