Evian.. & babies?

One of the easiest ways to grab viewers attention is with those cute, round little faces we call babies. So why not pair adorable toddlers with some rollerblades and a bottle of Evian? This video skyrocketed the charts with its quirky sense of humor and strong message to be known as one of the 'Top 10 Viral Video Advertisements of All Time', according to AdAge. With nearly 1.1 million hits per week, this video is targeted to surpass the number spot held by Blendtec by the end of this year. Enjoy!



Curious to see what other videos made the list? Check out AdAge's article here: http://bit.ly/n9jrjH

- Back in Action -

Come to find out, I actually miss what was once a class project (& I'll admit.. that's probably the first and last time I'll say that!). After taking a break from the blogosphere over the summer, I have returned!

What got me back to my coveted blog? Well ask and you shall receive. Recent twitter posts have begun to cover my feed with a special hashtag --> #unidigadv . It was from this hashtag that I began to explore the digital realm in my digital advertising class. Classmates of mine would use this special tag to indicate updates on their own blogs for others to see. Now that Fall semester is starting to get underway.. it's making its return, and so am I!

Needless to say.. Be on the lookout for my recent discoveries relating to advertising, marketing, viral videos, and everything in between!

Jacob Tucker's Viral Slam Dunk

Jacob Tucker didn't expect anything when he sent in an audition tape of his dunking abilities to the 2011 NCAA Dunk Contest, but 5 days later his tape attracted nearly 500,000 viewers across the web. What makes Jacob's story such a success you ask? Standing in at only 5 foot 11 inches, Tucker would easily be the smallest guy in the competition.. but that didn't stop him from showing off his uncanny leaping abililities. Adding to that, Tucker's only from a Division III team while most contestants eligible for the contest come from Division I. No worries, this didn't stop his nearly 2000 fans from creating a Facebook group dedicated to landing Tucker an invitation to the contest. All this social media attention Tucker recieved did in fact help him get the coveted invitation to the Final Four Weekend Dunk Contest. Check out his submission video below!
Within a matter of a couple weeks, Tucker's video had gone from virtually no hits at all to nearly 4 MILLION views. This viral video takes into account all 6 verbs for the connected world but pays special attention to 'Interacting' and 'Generating'. Tucker was able to personalize his submission video to showcase his skills in a way that the viewers could interact with it and pass it along. Oh and just in case you're wondering.. Tucker did end up winning the 2011 NCAA Dunk Contest. Check out the video below!

Babble Babies

I recently caught a glimpse of these two twin babies on a morning show and couldn't stop laughing! 17 month-old Sam and Ren seem to be caught up in a conversation of their own language and their mother cleverly decided to get a quick video.. and over 100,000 views later this video has officially became viral.



After viewing the video several times it quickly becomes apparent as to what makes a video become viral. If we take one of Kevin Kelly's 6 Key Verbs for the Connected World, that being 'Sharing', we can see how easily it is for a network of friends to spread a video virtually overnight. All the advancements in technology make connectivity a breeze, thus allowing hilarous moments like these babies available for the whole world to be seen.

"It's Friday.. Fun. Fun. Fun"

If you hadn't heard of Rebecca Black within the past week, you must be living under a rock. Deemed an overnight sensation, this young 'artist' seems to have created a summer jam that everyone will become sick of after not even listening to the first few minutes. Some describe her music as a 'trainwreck' while others claim she's a young girl just having fun. Either way you flip that pancake, her song 'Friday' is definitely catchy.. and rightfully so with nearly 75 million views on YouTube alone. Check out the video HERE! I dare you to listen to the entire 3 1/2 minutes.

This viral video definately takes into account the 'generating' verb of the connected world. The internet helped catapult this video across the web in an immediate fashion. Before the Monday blues had even began, it seemed everyone was talking about FRIDAY!!

6 Key Verbs for the Connected World

I came across this interesting article while browsing my twitter feed today. Ogilvy Digital tweeted about one of Tech Crunch's articles that will resonate for the next 20 years in the 'digitally connected' world. I believe a successful viral video incorporates each of these 6 verbs in their own unique way to create a certain 'buzz' that the internet just loves to stir. 'Wired' co-founder Kevin Kelly established 6 trends he believes are the most important for the next 20 years in the connected world:

1. Screening- 'One screen for all'. Everything will become a screen.


2. Interacting- Not just limited to fingertips.. but gestures, voice, camera, etc.


3. Sharing- Self-tracking of everything we do (Real-time location, pictures, and video).


4. Flowing- Real-time stream connected to the web.


5. Accessing- Not simply owning it, but assessing information and media (soon to fully hit the music spaces).


6. Generating- Personalization and immediacy a key: "Internet is world's largest copy machine".

UNI Interlude

Hello Everyone!

I'm back after a brief hiatus, something we college students like to call Spring Break! I wanted to share a viral video I found a couple weeks ago that originated from my very own college, the University of Northern Iowa!! I'm not sure who necessarily started this so-called 'dance-craze' at our basketball games but it sure adds an exciting twist. The video displays hundreds (if not thousands) of UNI students dancing to the Interlude dance in the McCleod Center where the UNI Men's Bastketball team defeated Creighton. CHECK IT OUT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI6cEog4cnY

Beginnings

The purpose of this blog is to begin creating my 'digital identity' on the web. My main focus will be on hilarious viral videos. I plan on scouting out new videos via YouTube, Hulu, etc. and discussing them in detail on my blog. I will be searching for everything from online advertisements, hilarious home videos, TV show segments, etc.

My Klout score via Twitter is currently unknown. As of right now, I have 23 Twitter followers.

I aim to improve my digital presence through regular blog posts, tweeting more often, and learning more about what online entertainment has to offer.