Evian – Feel Young

For the holiday season,viral videos from top brands have gained exposure all over the internet. These include Gap, Evian (my personal favorite!) and Victoria’s Secret. Advertising Age along with Visible Measures publish a weekly top 10 viral video list – ranked by number of views by audiences.

The definition of a viral video is a published video that is shared via the internet and spreads based on content and audience sharing. Although most viral video successes are measured through one metric alone – the number of views, this might only be the measure of a generic reach of the video, not necessarily to the “right” audience that will translate into engagement with the brand or generate sales. Thus, video views may not be sufficient to measure the effectiveness of the brand message.

However, it’s hard to argue that viral videos are a good way to increase brand awareness with the general populace. Take the Evian viral video for example, that headed last week’s top 10 list with their live young video:

An entertaining, catchy and funny video excerpted with the Evian brand message – it’s the kind of video that has viewers sharing and telling their friends about it. And since Evian is a brand that is relevant to all mass audiences in general, it can have a tremendous effect in terms of remembrance and recollection when someone passes the bottled water aisle at the grocery store – inciting the kind of brand engagement and sales generation that Evian would have intended with this campaign.

On the other hand, brands that have very specific target audiences and are relevant to very focused segments and/or communities would benefit from an overall video campaign that includes more than just a post and a featured spot on Youtube. Being strategic about placement in the right websites, and capturing the attention of the targeted audience requires more effort from the brand’s marketing team than a viral video demands.

It is crucial then, that brands examine their message, purpose and target audience before hedging their bets on a viral video campaign – it might do wonders, it may not. For more on the pros and cons of viral video marketing, as well as alternative options for segment-specific companies, here’s an intriguing article.

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