Viral Videos … Cheat Sheet
Viral videos being the holy grail of advertising, many advertising agencies have been trying to create a viral video, and the absolute totality have failed to do so, because a viral video is something very hard to produce for an advertising agency.
But then, they discovered a shortcut, they realized that the video does not really have to be about a specific business, all it has to do is cover a subject related to the business in question, and use a dramatic and emotional story in it.
In other words, they get the drama producer to produce a fictional situation, that will make people cry, and then in some way associate it to the product or company…
Companies videos will go viral , but through psychological manipulation, but then again psychology have a big role in advertising , these videos will often end with a phrase reminding you of the company that had the video ad done.
Does Emotional Advertising work ?
Saying it does not would be a lie, but saying it does would be a simplification …
Simply emotional advertising can be used for unknown brand to get some exposure, but could be damaging for big brands, as it underline psychological tactic used, which might alienate the fans.
let’s take a couple case studies:
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Dad keeping appearance while working hard for his daughter : advertising an Insurance company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZgmj5ay5Bk
When insurance companies, labeled by most as “the most dishonest types of business”, get on the bandwagon of emotional advertising there’s nothing more to say …
The story of a parent sacrifice to give the best for his daughter, touches a lot of hearts, only to reveal that it’s actually an ad for MetLife an insurance agency …
Would the ad get them exposure? You bet it will, will it get them clients? A little bit, because most viewers did not even care what was after the video.
2. Paying back a good deed after years : advertising a Telecommunication Company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YLVBlT0GDQ
This telecommunication company from Thailand “TrueMove H” decided to make you feel sad, and the relieved when a good hear-ted old man become sick and a boy he helped back then becomes a doctor and take in charge the costs of the operation.
Would the viral ad get them exposure? There’s no doubt, will it get them clients? none, because the subject is lightly related to the service, and then people don’t make purchasing decision based on a warm feeling.
3. Two old friends reunion : advertising a search engine: Google
Yes, Google also joined the bulk of companies using psychological manipulation, in this video, it is showing how 2 old friends were able to meet after year of separation due to India/Pakistan separation , and all of course thanks to Google services …
This video will have absolutely no influence on Google reach in India and Pakistan, it’s only a PR move.
4. Doing Good for the sake of good “unsung hero” : ad for a Thai insurance company
Another example of what i tend to call useless emotional manipulation, a thai insurance agency video portraying a man doing good for the sake of good, and then ending it with their logo and catch line.
How would this help sell insurance? Let’s say it’s a branding more rather than a direct selling pitch.
Emotional Advertising future:
The future is bleak, the least i can say, the reason is that once the companies start abusing of emotional advertising, it will no longer have any effect on people … I’ll even go on a limp and say that emotional advertising have the same qualities as sex and violence advertising meaning that people will not be influenced to buy more due to the ad, on the contrary they might buy less if compared to standard video ad. But advantage here, is it propagates easier.
Should you create an emotional viral video for your company?
Depends, if you are on a tight budget, don’t do it, because getting it right is not easy and would require that you put some serious money into the video production, but also creating buzz around it!
If you want it for online use:
If you have a business and looking for a way to get customers, I would recommend that you go with an explainer video instead, explainer videos are very hot these days and they have a much higher conversion rate than an emotional video, in other words for each 100.000 viewer of your emotional video, you might get a client, while explainer videos it’s more around 1 in 10 or 20 views.