What makes a video go viral?

By Mark Frary

The headline is a question that many in marketing ask themselves. As video grows in importance and the number of videos out there increases.

If you look at the top trending videos on YouTube in 2012, it is quite difficult to work out what connects them? Is it catchy music? Certainly, Gangnam Style has a hook that has grabbed the attention of 1.4 billion people and counting around the world.

Could it be a wow factor? Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space certainly had that and brought millions of eyeballs to the brand of energy drink Red Bull.

Or it is just a bit of fun to waste time in a busy day? The clip of Why you asking all them questions?> certainly had its comedic moments.

YouTube itself is better placed than many to answer the question. Its trends manager Kevin Allocca has addressed just that in a talk at a TED forum late in 2011. Allocca says that three things are required for a video to go viral. They need tastemakers, communities and the video itself needs unexpectedness.

A tastemaker is someone well connected who discovers the original video. The famous double rainbow clip has now been seen more than 36 million times but was on the video platform for a long time before it was discovered by a popular comedian and unleashed on an unsuspecting world.

The only thing about the video itself, says Allocca, is that it should contain unexpectedness. One of the greatest videos of 2012 is called A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square (below). It is an orchestrated flashmob designed to promote the launch of a television channel and is as unexpected as it is humorous.

A new app might help making viral videos a bit easier. TubeRank lets you get inspiration from existing video content.

You set various triggers (e.g. topical, referential, WTF) and then choose a sector (travel is one) and it suggests a video that you might get inspiration from. Rather than simply stealing someone else’s idea, this should help in the creative process.

TubeRank’s creators carried out extensive research among creative agencies into what makes videos viral before setting up the app. Videos that were one or more of: funny, entertaining, shocking, sad, topical and well-crafted stood more chance of going viral. Being quick to deliver was also considered vital