What viral videos look like; what non-viral videos look like — by the stats

The first 2 are viral videos – notice the shape of the “total views curve” (quick rise and approaches the max asymptotically). The last 2 videos are not viral, and supported by paid advertising and promotion. It is a straight line that grows steadily over time. The 2 examples of non-viral videos were chosen simply to have similar view counts as the first and second examples.

Viral video examples – notice the asymptotic curve towards the max on the total views chart.

Frozen Grand Central ImprovEverywhere viral video – 18 million views – added on Jan 31, 2009.  ”Other/viral” gave it its first big boost and embedded views gave it another big push.
frozen grand central improveverywhere viral What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

No Pants Subway Ride ImprovEverywhere viral video – 9 million views – uploaded January 13, 2009; got onto YouTube homepage and got a major boost from it.

no pants subway ride improveverywhere viral What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

NON-viral video examples – notice the straight line of the total views chart.

corbin bleu non viral video What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

ashley tisdale non viral video What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

Perfect example of NON-viral video that had help with paid media – in this case, GoDaddy supported these videos with costly Superbowl ads — which led to nice bumps-up in total views.

godaddy viral non viral videos1 What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

In the case of Smirnoff’s Tea Partay, it was not supported by paid media so it took longer to grow and the shape of the curve is a nice blend between the straight line of a non-viral video and the asymptotic line of a viral video.

tea partay partially viral video What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

Finally, blatant ads don’t go viral – Sony’s grand central product demo stunt. And even if they are discussed in dozens of blogs it is not enough to get past the first tipping point.

sony grand central stunt video What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

How the JKWedding Viral Video was A Manufactured Success

lg share en What viral videos look like; what non viral videos look like    by the stats

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Friday, July 31st, 2009 Uncategorized

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Dr. Augustine Fou is an advisor on digital strategy and social media marketing, with over 16 years of in-the-trenches, hands-on experience. He provides client executives with objective, in-depth assessments of their current marketing programs and recommendations for improving business impact and ROI with digital insights.

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