Ten Top Viral Videos to Inspire Your Creative Spirit

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Over the past year, there were a handfull of video campaigns that not only went viral but also inspired people in different ways. From crazy dances and Ugandan rebel leaders, to men freefalling from space, this past year had something to keep everyone entertained.

These ten videos were huge hits and created a lot of buzz. Here’s a list of ten of the top viral video successes of the past year. Can you do better?

Kony

This documentary was made by Invisible Children, a charity that aims to promote ‘Stop Kony’ movement. The 30 minute clip, published in March last year, was about Joseph Kony, a Ugandan rebel leader, and to date it has 96,561,777 views.

The video gained a huge celebrity following with the likes of Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey who all shared the video.

Gangnam Style

It might be slightly difficult to remember just how popular this dance was given the latest Harlem Shake fad but back in 2012, this was a worldwide phenomenon.

Published in July, the video starred South Korean rapper Psy and it became the most watched video on YouTube. Ever. It even surpassed Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ video, which shot the teen-star to fame.

To date, it has had 1,340,321,254 views; not bad for a guy who wears a tuxedo and sunglasses, and dances like a galloping horse.

Red Bull- Stratos

Now we all know how the saying goes, ‘Red Bull gives you wings’, but the brand took this to a whole new level in October last year when they showcased a daredevil marvel.

Felix Baumgatner broke the world record and sound barrier to travel at a speed that man has never done before. The world watched in awe when the 43-year-old man freefell out of space. The mission clocked up over 32 million views on YouTube and it was the most watched live online event ever.

Call Me Maybe lip syncing

Last year, a bunch of celebrities got together to kick start a lip syncing trend and it made Carly Rae Jepson’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ hit record, the song of the summer. Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and more collaborated to sing along to the catchy tune.

It soon became one of the biggest global trends and to date it has had 59,553,496 views.

TNT

A TV channel in Belgium was launched in April last year and to promote it a big red button was placed in one of the Flemish towns. It read “Push to add Drama” and the inquisitive souls that pushed it had a very rude awakening.

The moment anyone pushed the button, a wealth of dramatic consequences occurred, including a man on a stretcher falling out of an ambulance, as well as a gun battle between police and a getaway car driver.

The whole scene was filmed by actors, and the core message was to encourage consumers to get their daily dose of drama on the new TV channel.

To date the clip has had 43,538,151 views on YouTube.

Dubstep Violin

In February last year, an American violinist, Lindsey Stirling, published a video on YouTube that catapulted her to fame. The musician created an amazing piece which combined dubstep with her violin and it made her a huge hit.

It has had 49,087,616 views which isn’t bad for someone who has achieved recognition simply through YouTube.

Walk off the Earth’s Gotye Cover

In January last year, a Canadian band, Walk off the Earth, published their version of Gotye’s hit single ‘Somebody That I Used to Know.’

The clip shows the five members performing and playing to one guitar, and it became the biggest cover video of 2012.

The video has had a massive 146,424,871 views on YouTube.

Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney

In October last year, the Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB) published a hilarious video of Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney.

The clip was one of many videos watched during the election season, and to date it has drawn over 57 million views.

Why You Asking All Them Questions?

In January last year, an entertainer from America called Emmanuel Hudson became a worldwide, hip hop phenomenon.

The YouTube star teamed up with another actor called Spoken Reasons to produce one of 2012’s most entertaining videos.

The rap has cultivated 44,100,418 views and was the seventh most popular video that everybody was talking about in 2012.

Facebook Parenting: For the Troubled Teen

In February last year, an American parent called Tommy Jordan decided to give his offspring some tough love.

His 15-year-old daughter had reportedly posted a letter on her Facebook profile, criticizing her mom and dad. In it, she expressed how upset she was and how unfair her life is in that she has to do chores, but never gets paid to do them.

She shared the post with all her Facebook friends but blocked her parents from seeing it; however, her dad did see the thread, and responded with a video that went incredibly viral.

The clip, which showcased a father-daughter relationship in such a socially-savvy world, sparked a storm of controversy and debate. To date it has had over 36 million views on YouTube.

And there it is.

This guest article was written by Lauren Grice on behalf of PR Fire, a press release distribution service.

Lamborghini Bike

Limité à 50 exemplaires, le Lamborghini Bike a été pensé par le constructeur italien et le spécialiste suisse des vélos BMC Switzerland. Cette édition spéciale, réalisée pour les 50 ans de la marque automobile pèse moins de 7 kg, et est estimé à une valeur de 25 000 euros. A découvrir en détails dans la suite.

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How One Agency Increased Revenue 3,597 Percent

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So you want to win a Lion at Cannes this year? Good luck with that. And to what end anyway? So you can put it on a shelf, let it collect dust and hope it leads to new business? How about a more proven method?

How about a method that can increase your revenue 3,597 percent? Oh, you think this is yet another cheesy white paper offer? Well it is a whitepaper offer but it’s not cheesy in the least.

Smart agency owners know that survival requires an imminent shift toward digital marketing services like blogging, content creation, search engine optimization and social media. But that transition is easier said than done.

That’s why HubSpot (yes, I’ve consumed the Kool-Aid and yes, I write for their blog and no, I’m not actually making any money on this offer) interviewed the leaders of six agencies, all with a variety of backgrounds, all who came to the same realization that change was imperative. They acquired digital talent, changed their services and pricing models, and began selling integrated inbound marketing services to grow their businesses.

In this report, you’ll hear stories and advice from:

Greg Linnemanstons, President of Weidert Group
Aaron Aders, Co-Founder and Marketing Research Director of Digital Relevance (formerly Slingshot SEO)
Paul Roetzer, Founder and CEO of PR 20/20
Bob Ruffalo, Founder and CEO of Impact Branding
Tiffany Sauder, President of Element Three
John McTigue, Executive Vice President and Co-Owner of Kuno Creative

Let that Lion collect dust. Download this whitepaper now and start doing something that will actually make you some coin.

Advertising Research Foundation Taps Gayle Fuguitt as CEO


Former General Mills researcher Gayle Fuguitt will be the new CEO of the Advertising Research Foundation, making her the first woman and first career client-side executive to lead the group.

Ms. Fuguitt’s appointment is expected to be announced at the opening of ARF’s Re:Think 2013 conference in New York on March 18. She starts April 15.

Ms. Fuguitt, 56, retired in August after 32 years at General Mills, where she was most recently VP-global consumer insights. David Poltrack, the chief research officer of CBS Corp., who headed the search committee, said his first thought was whether she’d be interested in the job.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Valspar: Perfect Color

Advertising Agency: Draftfcb, Chicago, USA
Group Management Director: Scot Havrilla
Account Management Director: Rebeca Bechily
Chief Creative Officer: Todd Tilford
Group Creative Director: Gigi Carroll
Creative Director / Copywriter: Drew Donatelle
Associate Creative Director / Art Director: Myra Mazzei

Tampa Bay Lightning: Scream

AdvertisingAgency: Dunn&Co, Tampa, USA
Creative Director: James Rosene
Art Director: Jon Rodriguez
Copywriters: James Rosene, Jeremy Jones

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jaw

AdvertisingAgency: Dunn&Co, Tampa, USA
Creative Director: James Rosene
Art Director: Jon Rodriguez
Copywriters: James Rosene, Jeremy Jones

3M Reflective Tape: Elephant, Alien

“You will be seen for sure.”

Advertising Agency: Pro publicidad, Santiago, Chile
Creative Director: Gastón morales
Art Director: Rulo Menjibar
Illustrator: Josefina Pro

Tampa Bay Lightning: Injured

AdvertisingAgency: Dunn&Co, Tampa, USA
Creative Director: James Rosene
Art Director: Jon Rodriguez
Copywriters: James Rosene, Jeremy Jones

Can Brands Dance? Sir Martin Says Yes

Music moves people. Live music moves people deeply. The experience lingers for days, weeks, sometimes for years.

Naturally, brand marketers would love to gain some of this attention for their own purposes, and increasingly they’re turning to experiential marketing to deliver. Which is why it is not surprising to learn that WPP has ponied up $10 million for a share of SFX Entertainment, media mogul Robert F.X. Sillerman’s recently revived company (he sold the company to Clear Channel for $4.4 billion in 2000).

In January, SFX Entertainment purchased the North American division of Holland-based ID&T Entertainment, the world’s largest dance music concert promoter.

Here is footage from 2012′s Tommorowland event in Belgium:

SFX also owns nightclubs and music download store, Beatport.

WPP “recognizes the power of dance music to coalesce and address an increasingly difficult-to-reach audience,” Mr. Sillerman said.

Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, compared the move to WPP’s investments in Vice, the Weinstein Company and others.

“Sillerman’s been extremely successful in consolidating fragmented industries which have untapped growth potential that generally have excellent marketing opportunities attached to them,” said Mike Principe, a former SFX attorney who is now CEO of The Legacy Agency. “He goes in, acquires en masse, and enjoys a leading position.”

The post Can Brands Dance? Sir Martin Says Yes appeared first on AdPulp.

Vitabiotics launches first TV ad with Channel 5 in £2m campaign

Vitabiotics, the multivitamin brand, is to launch its first TV ad campaign this evening, after signing a £2m 12-month partnership with Channel 5.

Adidas, Champs Get Kaleidoscopic with the Help of NBA, NFL Pros

We could use a little color–ok, a LOTof color–at this point in the day, considering what kind of day it’s been, and adidas and Champs Sports dutifully help the cause with this Originals effort from Portland-based shop, Kamp Grizzly that hypes the adiColor collection. While there’s no A-Trak to start the party this time around, we have the sounds of hip-production duo TNGHT and pro athletes like Knicks guard Iman “still kicking the House Party look” Shumpert and Broncos LB Von Miller to provide the freneticism.

Additionally, if you’re one of those folks who spend way more time than you should huddled at the end of the bar playing one of those photo hunt games, there’s an adiColor version tied into this campaign that can you try out here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Discovery Wins Bid to Televise Canyon Crossing

Nik Wallenda, the daredevil who crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope last year, will try a similar stunt at the Grand Canyon in June, he announced on Monday.

Valspar: Choices

Advertising Agency: Draftfcb, Chicago, USA
Group Management Director: Scot Havrilla
Account Management Director: Rebeca Bechily
Chief Creative Officer: Todd Tilford
Group Creative Director: Gigi Carroll
Creative Director / Copywriter: Drew Donatelle
Associate Creative Director / Art Director: Myra Mazzei

Oreo Wraps Up Cookie vs. Creme Campaign With Dozens of Goofy Videos

Cookie or creme? Perhaps not surprisingly, Oreo says it's both. Following the "Whisper Fight" Super Bowl spot, the #cookiethis/#cremethis Instagram campaign, the Oreo Separator videos and the "Life Raft" TV spot, Wieden + Kennedy today wraps up its "Cookie vs. Creme" campaign with SuperImportantTest.com, an amusing grab bag of a website which makes it clear that there's no wrong answer to the question of which part of an Oreo is better. Submitting a vote on the site takes you to one of more than 30 silly videos—from 2-D horse animations to robotic cats and everything in between. Directors, production companies and YouTube personalities from "six different time zones" (!?) created the clips, the agency says. After each one, you can go back and cycle through the others. All in all, the campaign was a pleasant confection—six weeks of inspired silliness which proved that even with kind of a dumb premise, Oreo can still have plenty of fun. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Oreo
Project: Super Important Test
www.SuperImportantTest.com

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Jason Bagley, Craig Allen
Digital Director: Matt O'Rourke
Copywriter, Digital Creative: Jarrod Higgins
Art Director: Ruth Bellotti
Account Team: Scott Sullivan, Jessie Young, Ken Smith
Broadcast Producer: Katie Reardon
Broadcast Production Director: Ben Grylewicz
Interactive Producer: Robbie Veltman
Executive Interactive Producer: Lori DeBortoli
Information Architect: Jake Doran
Digital Designer: Paul Levy
Creative Technologists: Ryan Bowers, Billy McDermott
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples, Susan Hoffman

Video Creators
Carl Burgess
Cat Solen
Tony Foster
Fatal Farm
Jimmy Marble
Max Erdenberger
McRorie
Power House
Agile BrandTelligence
Visual Arts and internal W+K resources, including W+K Motion Department and Don't Act Big Productions

Development Partner
Hook LLC

6 Smart Social Strategies to Fuel Your Brand’s Marketing Success

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Conversations about your company and your products happen each and every day, all over the web. For a marketer managing campaigns across all types of media, these real-time consumer conversations can either be a marketer’s dream or your worst nightmare. At the end of the day, you just want marketing programs that work.

Bazaarvoice simplifies social-channel complexity by giving specific examples of ways social can improve marketing efficiency and effectiveness. This insight-packed resource clearly outlines six actionable strategies for leveraging user-generated content to:

  • Create word-of-mouth campaigns that drive growth
  • Deliver a measurable return on social investments
  • Bridge the gap between brands and consumers
  • Increase site traffic

Download this report now to see exactly how social drives real results for brands.

Meet the Data Wonks Who Work in Beer, Booze and Food


Robin Ross, Associate Director of CulinaryKraft Foods Group

What is the household penetration of parchment paper? It’s a typical query thrown to Ms. Ross, who oversees the marketer’s “pantry study,” conducted every four years to determine the most commonly used ingredients and cookware. Kraft surveys 2,000 households using an eight-page questionnaire. The data guides Kraft as it develops recipes, package instructions and products. Some recent insights: People are using smaller skillets and more ethnic spices. As for parchment paper, while usage is on the rise, it’s still not omnipresent. So Kraft stuck with foil when developing recipes for its new Fresh Take brand of cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs.

Nick Lundquist, Director of National AccountsSierra Nevada

Continue reading at AdAge.com

3M: Elephant

Reflective tape. You will be seen for sure.

Advertising Agency: Pro publicidad, Santiago, Chile
Creative Director: Gastón morales
Art Director: Rulo Menjibar
Illustrator: Josefina Pro

3M: Alien

Reflective tape. You will be seen for sure.

Advertising Agency: Pro publicidad, Santiago, Chile
Creative Director: Gastón morales
Art Director: Rulo Menjibar
Illustrator: Josefina Pro

Crax puffs: Mouth Wide Open, Snake

Wheat Puffs with a Big Bite!

Advertising Agency: BEI Confluence, New Delhi, India
Creative Director / Copywriter: Ammar Mohammed
National Creative Director: Anwar Abbas
Art Director / Illustrator: Deb Chakraborty