The viral promotion of the “Yes We Can” video by singer Will.i.am in support of the Obama campaign was designed to engage thought leaders, video enthusiasts and political bloggers instead of the traditional media. It became an Internet phenomenon, with more than 40 million views, and resulted in more traditional media than a high-budget traditional PR campaign could even dream of, with half a billion impressions of traditional media coverage (including Larry King Show, Today show and six articles in the NY Times) – all this without a single press release or outbound call from a publicist.
Landing just days before Super Tuesday, the phenomenon is largely credited with swinging popular sentiment from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primaries. What’s the viral hook in your book?
Michael Terpin, Founder & CEO of SocialRadius, explains what elements are needed to cause virality in a video and how it all begins in marketing through the blogosphere, rather than waiting around for your video to “go viral” on YouTube.
