Viral videos might be the next best marketing technique. On
April 2, Sarah Ang posted on Mashable all the reasons why these viral videos
are priceless to companies and organizations. First, viral videos don’t require
a time limit, they can go on for as long as the company wants and they don’t have
to pay for a time slot. The only expense is in the actual making of the video.
Secondly, the videos can be more promiscuous or emotional in any sense of the
word. This intensified emotional dynamic creates a better relationship with the
audience which makes them more apt to pay attention. Thirdly, the videos go
viral because of the viewers, not because the company is pushing them. The
viewers can share and embed them in all different interfaces for viewing which
helps the company to reach even more people than if they were to rely on TV ads. Ang also touched on the fact that these
videos can take attention away from recent bad publicity which always helps in
a company’s image or even liven up instructional/safety instructions like this video from Virgin Air.
There is always the chance that the videos will flop rather
than fly, but I think that the risk is worth it. Organic views beat out the
best paid views and are more meaningful because the viewer actually wanted to
see the video of their own free will. I think that more companies should take
advantage of the viral video industry because they have so many more
possibilities in regards to the film making. Plus, they also can spread their
company image in a more effective way than simply planting their brand name on
an image, much like Chipotle did in this heart-tugging short.
