Good viral, bad viral. Look and learn.
OK, reading this takes a little time, 4-5 minutes (it's longer than my usual postings), but it's worth it.
FIrst off... good viral. This is part of the Ray-Ban 'Never Hide' campaign. The whole campaign carries a big idea that taps into youthful individualism, making a classic brand relevant.
This viral ad on YouTube has already been viewed over 2 million times, and manages to engage, laugh at, and laugh with, the tubers that Ray-Ban are after. And most importantly it has that magical pass-along quality, in this case created by a 'how did they do that' curiosity.
(Is the branding too subtle? Maybe, but remember, this is part of a larger compaign.)
Take a look...
Now, do you want to see some shockingly bad viral, from Panasonic? Just look at this next clip. The last scene has now been removed from www.hedidnotseethatcoming.com, the minisite developed to promote the Panasonic Viera Plasma TV.
OK, perhaps you're thinking "Well, it's gone viral, so it can't be that bad" - but yes, it is. It's truly awful.
Take a look...
Trashy shock value that damages the brand and shows no respect for consumers. As marketers get to grips with how to create viral content, there are some really BIG mistakes being made!