Video Marketing Going Viral

There is an ongoing, global obsession with recording and posting videos in this decade. The speeds at which a video can go viral are phenomenal. The trend of using YouTube and vines does not seem to be losing much momentum at all. Seizing this opportunity, with every trend the masses embrace, large companies embrace: to slide in some advertising and marketing. The same factors that compel individuals also compel the industry giants to utilize this medium. The possibility of overnight stardom, fame and wealth are motivation enough for anyone to post videos at will; including big companies.

I was recently on Twitter for part of a class project and I went to Coca Cola’s home page. I really was not expecting to see how heavy Coca Cola is involved in their social media marketing. One of the most surprising things to see was the Coca Cola vines. My initial response to seeing them was “really?”, but I have never been a huge vines fan, other than what Tosh.o covers.

Coca Cola is just one example of a company using the video marketing bandwagon to ultimately boost sales. My question remains; is video marketing success measurable? The answer maybe “sure it is!” if you ask the company that is marketing their product through that medium. The number of views, likes or comments doesn’t always mean those same people are buying the product. The appeal of a video that causes it to go viral may be difficult for most companies to successfully duplicate. This is due to the uniqueness of a video posted by an individual or amateur versus the TV commercial resemblance a big company may have in their attempt to go viral.

Advancements in the internet and technology have allowed the viewing public to wield one great power: the power to skip commercials. This works to the disadvantage of large companies, because, if people are skipping commercials on TV, what would make them search for one on YouTube? I suppose if a company has someone get kicked in the head by a train conductor while holding their product, well that may go viral. The point I’m trying to address is; if I wasn’t working on a class project, I would’ve never went to Cokes twitter page, let alone watch one of their vine videos. Viral videos and video marketing may have given fame for a few individuals; however, the commercial feel may be a limiting factor for large companies to indulge in the same success.

Christopher Moses

twitter: @cmoses15