As a marketer, there’s nothing less cool than being seen trying to promote a viral campaign and failing. On the other hand, there’s nothing cooler than a viral campaign taking off through no effort of your own.
It’s a bit like having a flat stomach: There’s much more cachet if you have good genes as opposed to constantly hitting the gym. Marketers can curse the gods for this profoundly unfair happenstance or they can get creative and release fake viral videos that are actually ads. That’s the approach the following have taken, and in each case, they’ve been caught. (A shout out to Mark Book of Digitas for bringing some of these to our attention.)
So, a few questions: Is it actually better to try to orchestrate a viral campaign in which you distance yourself from the campaign? Are there well-known viral videos out there that are actually ads and we just don’t know about them? Why are so many Australians involved in these things? Discuss — in the comments below.
Evan Longoria's Crazy Bare Hand Catch (Gillette)
Tampa Bay Ray Evan Longoria gallantly saves a female reporter from being impaled by a baseball with a hard-to-believe barehanded catch.
Why this is suspect:
1. The reporter has no logo on her microphone.
2. fMrSprts12, the YouTube entity that uploaded the video, has previously only uploaded videos related to Gillette.
How to Hack Video Screens in Times Square (Limitless)
A guy with an iPhone hacks into electric signs at Times Square.
How we know it's fake:
1. The people behind the video, a viral marketing company called Thinkmodo, admitted it to The New York Times.
2. A second video shows the inspiration behind the stunt: A fictional drug called NZT that's featured in the movie.
Walk on Water (Hi-Tec)
Aussies develop a new sport called Liquid Mountaineering th at involves walking on...
