Viral Videos

By Mikala Lindhardt

            Watching funny videos on YouTube is probably one of my favorite past times and it seems there is an endless supply of them. From parodies of popular songs to watching babies laugh uncontrollable, I love them all. For this post I want to talk about just a few of my favorite viral videos and some research behind their fame.

            First, I think it is interesting how people who produce viral videos make money. According to the New York Times, “If your video is on the road to viral success, YouTube, a part of Google, is eager to make money from you. It will send you an e-mail asking if you want to become a partner. If you give your permission, the site will run ads alongside your video and share more than half the revenue with you, sending you a check each month.” Not a bad set up.

            The first viral video I want to mention is the talking twins. Click here to view. At just 17 months old, Twin brothers Sam and Ren McEntee’s fame started out with a just a simple video post to their mothers blog. There mother, Abby keeps a blog about the twin’s life and also about her life for friends and family to read. She posted this video and it grew with people sharing it and re-posting it until it had more than 9.4 million views.

           

            The next viral video I want to talk about is a police officer singing ‘Shake it off’ by Taylor Swift patrolling a neighborhood. Click here to see the video. This one is different from the talking twins because, after some research, I found this video is staged. A police department in Delaware staged this video with intentions of posting it on their Facebook page. I isn’t mentioned how many people they were hoping to reach, but with more than 14 million views, I am sure they are pleased with the results.

            Not only did they get the attention of youtubers around the world, but also celebrities. Taylor Swift, the original artist who sang “Shake it off” tweeted and said, “LOLOLOLOL THE SASS”. That comment of hers was the retweeted and shared with thousands more.

            There is power in producing a viral video. Green Buzz agency published an article about viral videos and said, “A good viral video is everlasting. If the video is clever and funny today, odds are good it will still be clever and funny 5 or even 25 years from now. Furthermore, your potential audience is huge, and viewers can be watching it half way across the world.” Not only that, but a lot of celebrities are inviting those with viral videos on their show. Talk about publicity for companies and individuals.

            Just a word to the wise. It will have a lasting effect. Remember that. Make sure your viral video you produce isn’t something you would be embarrassed about 20 years from now. Just a thought.

            Thanks for reading!