Dear Marketers: YOU Don't Decide What Goes Viral

Microsoft Didn't Want One Video to Spread

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 10.01.09 @ 11:36 AM

We often get ridiculous press releases from marketers or their representatives declaring they've created the hottest new viral video. Sometimes, to make it even funnier, they'll point out that it's been viewed by over 3,000 people! It's been said -- many times, many ways -- a marketer or agency DOES NOT DECIDE WHAT IS VIRAL. The audience decides what to spread. Why, a true viral video -- whether it's good or bad for a brand -- is almost like a communicable disease. Gee, do you think that might even be how the phrase "viral video" came about? I wonder.

But today, we witnessed a rare inversion of the interweb version of the viral claims. A Microsoft rep told us that the Windows 7 "Launch Party" video currently climbing our viral video chart was not an ad and wasn't intended to be viral. OK. We'll give them the "ad" part. But more than half a million people have viewed just one version of the video, so, you know, it's ... viral. Perhaps all involved should consider what happens when you put something on the web that's so laughably bad that people can't help but pass it along.

14 Comments

By alanm | London October 1, 2009 03:03:41 pm:

It's really one of the worst virals I have seen. Crispin tried to be coy with this one, but blew it.

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By Richard | New York, NY October 1, 2009 03:09:19 pm:

i have no idea what to make of it. i didn't laugh - def confused.

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By bribri2783 | Albuquerque, NM October 1, 2009 03:18:25 pm:

Honestly I do love the idea...end-user customization and asking for feedback on their products is not something MS is known for and I commend the effort. That being said, I'd love to see the stats on how many of those half million actually got to the end of that six-minute-long turd before turning it off in frustration and watching the Cadbury Children of the Corn do their eyebrow-dancy thingy again. Some of the worst acting and clumsiest writing ever...it's like a corporate training video. A bad corporate training video.

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By tim.kelley | BARRINGTON, IL October 1, 2009 03:25:31 pm:

Could Microsoft ask for anything better? Climbing the charts, not damaging, explains some benefits, displays broad demographics, and keep us talking about the release of the software. That looks like a big win! If the idea was to have a launch party at home, then people sending this to each other to watch at home and laughing at the geeky cheesiness- is perfect.

Timothy Kelley
CEO The Baby CD
www.theBabyCD.com

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By nathaliesokoloff | new york, NY October 1, 2009 03:27:29 pm:

It looks to me like it was probably part of their partnership with House Party (www.houseparty.com). It looks like a video created to promote the upcoming at home focus groups. Awful ad was really probably not meant to be a real ad. That would be my guess... so interesting and weird it became this virtual phenomena.

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By Thoracic | Warszawa October 1, 2009 03:39:46 pm:

Oh come on you people! You've all seen it right? Another 6 minutes of your life on Mother Earth went down the drain and you even sacrificed another minute to comment on it. Cadbury Children of the Corn? How's that DIFFERENT? It's VIRAL, it DISEASE is.

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By digitalmem | Atlanta, GA October 1, 2009 03:42:56 pm:

The remix is way better, and almost at a 1/2 million views:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyas7BrbUFY

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By editorAdAge | New York, NY October 1, 2009 04:01:23 pm:

Let me explain this again: "A Microsoft rep told us that the Windows 7 "Launch Party" video currently climbing our viral video chart was not an ad and wasn't intended to be viral."

Not an ad. Not created by Crispin. Not intended to go viral.

That's sort of the point of the post -- things go viral (for good or bad reasons) on their own, regardless of what the marketer wants. And they often don't go viral.

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By lbwalker | LITTLE ROCK, AR October 1, 2009 04:25:55 pm:

Horrid! Awkward! Forced! (and poorly lit)

And the concept...a party to celebrate system software? Wow. Talk about the ultimate in corporate navel-gazing.

It also give a whole new meaning to the term "party crasher".

It's no wonder Microsoft didn't want this going viral.

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By kbraband | Milwaukee, WI October 1, 2009 04:29:38 pm:

The most telling line from the script: "Are they nuts or what?"

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By jbreitfelder | Chicago, IL October 1, 2009 05:10:09 pm:

Yikes, awkward and confusing. Highlights what happens when a brand with inauthentic story tries to be a giant version of Apple.

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By rukallstar2 | Minneapolis, MN October 2, 2009 01:33:18 am:

what the hell is this. these people would never be at the same party. let's make sure we get everyone in the mix, we love everyone. hug me. can't get through it, why have others been into it?

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By tates1 | East Lansing, MI October 2, 2009 10:32:33 am:

HAHAHA! this is hysterically awkward! But it will get people talking about windows 7, that's what they want. Regardless of whether it is bad or good, its got people looking and talking. One key note, looks like windows is trying to copy features that have been offered by Apple for years.

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By bobinas | Vilnius, VI December 15, 2009 12:57:42 pm:

viral means simple and funny mostly. I guess sometimes viral wasn't ment to be viral until it got so...

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