Viral Video Watch – September 16th, 2010
Posted by Jan in 
Today’s hot viral video has been accelerating at a rate of over 1 million views per day, since it’s launch on the 14th. DC shoes has gotten incredible exposure from this video due to it’s extreme appeal, something its customers, extreme sport enthusiasts themselves, find valuable. Not to mention the fact that no guy in his right mind would watch this video without telling his friends…
Viral Video Watch – September 15th, 2010
Today’s hot viral video is not very new. In fact, it’s been on YouTube since December 22nd, 2005, which is only about a month after the video sharing site launched. BUT, it’s a video we feel all must see, especially those who are fans of classic cinema, and more notably, Orson Welles.
The New Twitter: Yay or Yawn
Yesterday at its headquarters in San Francisco, Twitter unveiled the new design that will soon be available to all of its users. The design will allow users to easily share photos and videos, in an effort to circumvent Facebook as the main source of social interaction in the online community.
Rather than try and explain exactly how it works and how Twitter wants you to use it, we’ll let their video do the talking. Watch for the new twitter very soon though!
Choose your own ADventure: You Tube Edition
Once in a while, a new ad campaign comes along that opens new doors and pushes the boundaries of what can and cannot be done. Two weeks ago, Tippex, a whiteout manufacturer, launched a mind blowing You Tube campaign that takes us back to the days of Choose Your Own Adventure novels and is the greatest thing since the Old Spice campaign.
The campaign, titled NSWF. A hunter shoots a bear! starts with a simple enough video (Not Safe For Work Language) of some hikers talking about their sexual escapades. Suddenly, a bear comes out of the woods, and just as one of the scared hikers is about to blow its head off, two options come up on the screen: Shoot The Bear and Don’t Shoot The Bear. Upon clicking on either one, the user is taken to the Tippex YouTube channel.
The videos goes on, but the hunter in the frame turns to the camera, reaches out of the video box, grabs the giant Tippex container in the ad on the right hand side, and erases shoots in the video title. He then breaks the fourth wall and asked the user to type in their own scenario.
Following this, the user can input literally any word(s) he/she wants and press Play to be taken to their chose scenario involving the bear and the hunter. In some cases, the scenarios have been grouped together, like if the user inputs any type of sport it will go to a soccer video with a streaker running by and the bear scoring a goal on the hunter.
In the event that a non-filmed or non-recognizable scenario is entered, the user will be taken to an error clip. 
By this point, you are likely thinking that this is quite the extravagant campaign for something as simple as a whiteout company. But it’s genius considering that it was timed perfectly with back to school, and contains a lot of swearing and a hilarious result if anything sexual is typed in (hence appealing to the youth). It also spits in the face of the bigger companies that struggle to launch successful online campaigns.
It’s one for the little guys. Inspiring, to say the least.
Viral Video Watch – September 13th, 2010
Today’s Hot Viral Video is GOP Candidate Phil Davison delivering an *enthusiastic* speech. In comedy, it’s all about timing and delivery. Even when the comedian is not trying to be funny, and is not even a comedian to begin with. This video needs one good tag line to embed itself into Viral Video lore…maybe something along the lines of You Dun Goofed.
Google Instant Search: Old News?
Last week, Google released its new instant search function, which basically shows you search results as you type your query into the search bar. Considering that billions of search results are attainable through a simple Google search, this kind of idea is quite groundbreaking. Or is it?
Hasn’t YouTube been doing this for quite some time now? I specifically remember looking up the “Goat Yells Like Man” video last summer on the popular video site, and having the title come up under the search bar as soon as I had typed the word Goat.
Alright, I understand it is quite impressive for Google to be able to do it, considering how far the search engine can actually reach via its spider track technology. But what surprised me was how excited the online community was by this, and how impatient it made everyone seem. Is it really so hard to wait until you’re done typing your search to see what results come up? Mashable.com founder and CNN Columnist Pete Cashmore has his own take on the issue, labeling the latest tool as “real time web” technology.
“If relevant information is delivered to us without extra effort, why type words into a box?If relevant information is delivered to us without extra effort, why type words into a box?” says Cashmore on CNN.
In time, the instant search will likely turn out to be quite useful, especially if users are exactly sure of what or who they are looking for. It’s all part of the acceleration of the internet, and up there with real time news updates on mobiles and the abolition of print. But Cashmore predicts an even scarier fate for the evolution of Google searching.
“What if instead of guessing your intent while you search, Google could predict your needs before you search?”
Scary stuff. Google has become self aware.
The Little Social Medialite that could
The power of Social Media is an untapped resource with unlimited potential. For the past few years, people have begun to wonder just how much strength one individual can draw from a few simple posts. With Twitter rising exponentially in the ranks, new precedent setting cases are surfacing of every day people voicing their unhappiness via their tweets, and actually getting a response.
Meet Breanna Hughes, an ambitious Social Medialite and dating blogger who has seemingly conquered all the latest mediums. According to her Twitter she is even mayor of a few locations on Foursquare and has over 3,600 followers.
A few weeks ago, Breanna made a trip down to the States, and was outraged at the length of her cell phone bill upon her return. She had not expected to be charged so harshly for twittering and texting while down South, and she voiced her frustrations on Twitter along with a photo of her bill. Within a day, she was contacted by Rogers (her cell phone provider) via some tweets, and was given the contact info for a department that eventually adjusted her bill. Her case garnered serious attention in Toronto, and her story was featured in The National Post.
Could this symbolize a new era in the field of Public Relations? There have been other similar cases in the past where companies dealt with complaints made via Social Media, but Hughes actually managed to get her bill changed. And with that victory, it can only be left to wonder how soon will be before we no longer need customer supports phone lines to voice our concerns?
Viral Video Watch – September 9th, 2010
The Amazing Race has a new season starting in a few weeks. And there is no better way to promote it than with a hilarious but brutal moment in the upcoming season, where a contestant gets smashed in the face by a sling shot rocketed watermelon.
Viral Video Watch – September 8th, 2010
Today’s Hot Video is The Ticklish Camel. It just came out last Thursday and is now garnering serious attention. Could it be the next Goat Yells Like Man?
The Day the Double Rainbow Died
If you have to work in an office during those beautiful summer months and you stare out the window at the sunshine you are not enjoying, viral videos have likely become one of the only sources of joy in your day.
Likely the hottest (see what I did there) video this past season was Double Rainbow, posted by HungryBear9562. If you haven’t seen it, I very much recommend you check it out. Even though it was posted in January 2010, it rapidly gained popularity this past July and spawned countless parodies and auto tune remixes. Paul Vasquez, the man behind the camera in the video, is the type of guy who would probably never gain fame in other way. With this clip however, he instantly became a YouTube celebrity, and Double Rainbow became entrenched in the Internet Pop Culture Lexicon forever. The guy seemed a little crazy in the video, and the fact that he was able to leave a smile on so many people’s faces gave you a bit of a warm feeling your tummy. A success story if you will.
Until now.
Vasquez has apparently sold out, and is now featured in the latest Windows Live Photo Gallery add. Bad HungryBear9562, very very bad HungryBear9562. The magic of YouTube stars is that the lot of them never really sell out, other than mass manufacturing t-shirts of their meme, appearing in a Weezer video, or going on Television to discuss their fame.
Alas, you can decide for yourself. Do you think this is selling out?