Extreme Harlem Shake Catapults Red Bull to Top of YouTube Tracker

The whole Harlem Shake is way past its expiration date. At least that's what Red Bull thinks. And to put the trend to bed, the brand, what else, made its own Harlem Shake videos. In extreme Red Bull fashion, their version of the video uses skydivers. "It seems that everyone is making Harlem Shake videos, and to be honest it's about time to close this chapter of the Internet. That's why we decided to go out with style," wrote the brand of the video on its YouTube channel. It's debatable whether this video will put the trend to bed, but it definitely helped the energy drink brand on our YouTube Tracker. Red Bull took the No. 1 spot on Ad Age's YouTube Original Channel Tracker this week for the first time, with 72% growth in views over the week prior. Much of the channel's 5.8 million views can be attributed to the "Harlem Shake, skydiver edition" video. The video even made it on to our Viral Chart this week. It was one of three Harlem Shake videos this week – the others were from SeaWorld San Antonio and Pepsi – taking the No. 5 spot with 2.6 million views. And Red Bull wasn't alone amongst the Original Channels in indulging the trend. Twenty channels funded by YouTube have created Harlem Shake videos. As Ad Age has previously reported, more than 60 agencies have also got in on the action, as well as employees of Facebook and Google. Even brands like Chili's and A&W have posted their own Harlem Shake videos. According to Visible Measures, overall videos of the original Harlem Shake, as well as copies, spoofs, and mashups have accumulated 500 million views across more than 350 clips.

Extreme Harlem Shake Catapults Red Bull to Top of YouTube Tracker

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