As explained previously, the use and impacts of Viral advertising reach a tremendous amount of markets and countries. In order to analyse the most powerful and fascinating campaigns, the student decides not only to focus on the analysis of UK artefacts but also on a wider international area.
Indeed during the student's research stage of the portfolio development, outstanding pieces of work from foreign countries attracted her attention and were worth focusing on. In fact, prices and awards allocated to some of the following viral advertisements support the student's decision to include foreign artefacts in her final year portfolio. However it is important to remember that although these advertisements did not target the UK market, they were still available to the UK audience as they were digitally broadcasted and using a viral communication strategy, therefore accessible from any social media platform everywhere in the world eg. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs.
Indeed during the student's research stage of the portfolio development, outstanding pieces of work from foreign countries attracted her attention and were worth focusing on. In fact, prices and awards allocated to some of the following viral advertisements support the student's decision to include foreign artefacts in her final year portfolio. However it is important to remember that although these advertisements did not target the UK market, they were still available to the UK audience as they were digitally broadcasted and using a viral communication strategy, therefore accessible from any social media platform everywhere in the world eg. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs.
Volkswagen "The Force"
Agency: Donny Deutsch Advertising Inc.
Date of first release: 2nd February 2011
Country of creation: United States of America
Creative director: Eric Springer
Director: Lance Accord
Production: Lucasfilm
Support: Video
Platform: Television / YouTube
Rationale for advert selection
Volkswagen definitely incorporated a viral strategy to the broadcasting of The Force, as the advert was firstly available on YouTube website, three days before its official diffusion on TV during the 2011 American Superbowl evening.
The Force represents the only advertisement which strictly contains visual elements nonetheless managed to become a social institution and a viral advertisement phenomena.
Advertisement's goals
"We wanted to be loud by being quiet, so we created a spot that was simple, human and cool, the exact same qualitites that the Volkswagen (i.e. German's for 'people's car') brands stand for." (Kadin, 2011) According to Rainey the advertisement "will get inside people's head and stay there because it combines the iconic 'Star Wars' character and a classic sentiment - a child's desire to be larger than life." (2011) Indeed the elements of the advert combine myth (car operating by itself) as well as reality (actual characters and setting the audience can identify herself to) which enable viewers to easily remember the artefact therefore the product.
Campaign effectiveness
According to Advertising Age, The Force is the "most-watched viral ads [...] and is also the most shared of all-time." Indeed the day after its online release, the advert had already gathered one million views and currently gathers more than 57 million YouTube views which balance the money spent on advertising space for the SuperBowl diffusion.
The Force received numerous prestigious prizes such as: 34 Lions from Cannes International Festival of Creativity, Best advert from the Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. the World (2011) and Best Fubiz Awards 2012.
Canal + "The Bear"
Agency: BETC Paris
Date of first release: October 2011
Country of creation: France
Creative director: Stéphane Xiberras
Realisator: Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr.
Production: 75 Prod
Support: Video
Platform: Television / YouTube
Rationale for advert selection
Canal + is well known for its really creative artefacts (eg. 'Le Placard' released in 2009) and The Bear confirms its originality and ingenuity. Canal +'s advert creates awareness towards the brand by using differenciation strategy from banal TV channel advertisements. Indeed fun, attachment and surprise are core elements helping the audience to recall the advert and share it with their sphere.
Advertisement's goals
The advert conveys the product's features (i.e. variety of Canal +'s
TV offerings) through the pace of the advert, the heterogeneity of
shots and various emotions raised in the audience. The aspect of
quantity (quantity of channels provided by Canal + and quantity of feelings generated) is depicted as well with Canal +'s tagline 'The more you watch Canal + the
more you love cinema', which states that quantity induces quality time.
The audience understands that by spending time watching Canal +'s channels they will develop a passion for cinema and might be able to generate outcomes, like the bear did.
Campaign effectiveness
The advertisement's effectiveness is measurable thanks to the many notable recompenses received: Gold Lions from Cannes International Festival of Creativity in 2012, Gold Swan at Festival de Cabourg, Grand Prix Strategies de la Publicité 2012, Golden Palm of visual effects from Cannes International Film Festival 2012, Gold Pencil One Show Awards from New-York 2012, New-York Festival Awards, Gold World Media category Acting, Direction, Humour, TV & Cinema, Gold CLIO Award 2012 (Mikrosimage, 2013)
Berlitz "German Coast Guard"
Advertisement presentation
Agency: BTS United
Date of first release: September 2006
Country of creation: Norway
Director: Nic & Sune
Producer: Espen Horn
Editor: Christian Hvatun
Creative director: ThorbjØn Naug
Copywriter: Pal Sparre-Enger
Support: Video
Platform: Television / YouTube
Rationale for advert selection
Particularity of Berlitz's advertisement comes from hilarity aroused to viewers and their immediate will to share the funny artefacts with their fellow social media entourage. Paradoxically, the sophistication of Berlitz's advertisement, lies in its simplicity and the ability to describe banal event i.e. misunderstanding due to language barrier, but with more serious impacts and consequences.
Advertisement's goals
Berlitz Corp. played on the numerous misunderstanding due to language differences amongst nations to convey their service's features: language miscommunication can be harmful and have severe consequences. The advertisement had a $100.000 budget and decided to target Norway's TV2 channel before meeting success, becoming viral and landing on YouTube. (One Club, 2013)
Campaign effectiveness
The advertisement won Gold and Silver Lions from Cannes International Festival of Creativity in 2008, gathers more than 3 million YouTube views and displays "more than 1.7 million link" when 'German Coastguard' key words are searched on Google. (One Club, 2013) Moreover "tracking shows that more than 40 million people have seen the ad."
Focusing on the company, searches for 'Berlitz' on Google have increased by 52% (Adworldgems, 2012)
Agent Provocateur "Kylie Minogue"
Advertisement presentation
Agency: CDP - Travissully
Agency: CDP - Travissully
Date of first release: December 2001
Director: Steve Reeves
Creatives: Mick Mahoney & Andy Amadeo
Creatives: Mick Mahoney & Andy Amadeo
Support: Video
Platform: Cinema / YouTube (banned from TV)
Rationale for advert selection
The uniqueness of Agent Provocateur's advert is the controversial aspect generated by the use of sex and sensuality.
Unlike Dollar Shave Club, Volkswagen, Canal + and Berlitz who plays on humour and comedy to transmit their messages to the audience, Agent Provocateur uses sensuality -nearly erotism- to convey its messages: their underwear are sexy and have effects on men. Indeed the brand's name and identiy is represented throughout the advertisement with symbols of luxury, glamour, seduction and sexiness.
The outstanding element of this viral artefact is the way in which the brand (embodied by the sexy Kylie Minogue, Australian singer and actress) communicate with the audience. Indeed the viewers are engaged to the video but not in similar ways of conventional viral advertisements, in Agent Provocateur's the audience acts as witnesses and attestants of the product's features: erotism and sensuality. Viewers become actors of the advertisement and living evidences of Agent Provocateur's sexiness.
Unlike Dollar Shave Club, Volkswagen, Canal + and Berlitz who plays on humour and comedy to transmit their messages to the audience, Agent Provocateur uses sensuality -nearly erotism- to convey its messages: their underwear are sexy and have effects on men. Indeed the brand's name and identiy is represented throughout the advertisement with symbols of luxury, glamour, seduction and sexiness.
The outstanding element of this viral artefact is the way in which the brand (embodied by the sexy Kylie Minogue, Australian singer and actress) communicate with the audience. Indeed the viewers are engaged to the video but not in similar ways of conventional viral advertisements, in Agent Provocateur's the audience acts as witnesses and attestants of the product's features: erotism and sensuality. Viewers become actors of the advertisement and living evidences of Agent Provocateur's sexiness.
Advertisement's goals
As Kylie Minogue states in the advertisement "Agent Provocateur [position itself as] the most erotic lingerie in the world and with your help we can prove it."
Campaign effectiveness
Apart from the ban of the advertisement from television channels because viewers complained about its over raunchiness, and its unique release on cinemas, the advert has been "crowned the best cinema advertisement in a public vote" (Telegraph, 2009) and "the sexiest cinema advert of all times" (Ferguson, 2012). Rispo claims the video gathers over 360 million views. (2013)
Unlike many viral advertisements, Agent Provocateur advert managed to go viral not with the use of social networking sites but thanks to the 'shocking' content and controversial nature of the video.
Unlike many viral advertisements, Agent Provocateur advert managed to go viral not with the use of social networking sites but thanks to the 'shocking' content and controversial nature of the video.