Green Peace: Viral Video Making

This week, my group will embark on the journey of making a viral video. When I think of a viral video, many popular YouTube videos come to mind but as I learned in class, viral videos are used not just for entertainment. In my Public Relations for Social Media class, we examined different viral video campaigns. One organization who has produced many successful viral video campaigns is the well known Greenpeace. They have produced many videos that have caused a lot of buzz within the media including the current Greenpeace vs. Nestle campaign. The organization produced a video examining how the manufacturings of Kit Kats are destroying rainforests. The Kit Kats have palm oil, which is in abundance in the paradise rainforests. The video sends a strong message to viewers as an office worker bits into a KitKat for a snack and the KitKat resembles a finger of a monkey. The man takes a bite, and everyone around him is surprised to see that the KitKat is bleeding. The message is blunt and straight forward to the public. The video has turned viral and has caused uproar against Nestle, which is exactly what Greenpeace wanted.

I was very intrigued of how these videos become viral in a matter of hours. I read a piece by Daniel Bird, Multimedia Producer, of Greenpeace International about how the organization produces these successful videos. I was happy to learn the process that Greenpeace goes through to make a video go viral and create a successful campaign. First you must propose to make a viral video or a video that will be intended to reach a high amount of viewers. This video must reach its maximum potential by being passed from peer to peer, which is a fast acting promotional tool. The video must have a hook to get viewers intrigued and create a statement. This hook can also be the tone of the whole campaign so choose this wisely. Next, this video should be passed along to different outlets such as influential bloggers, video streaming websites like YouTube, and mailing lists. If these rules are followed then your video could be the next talk of the town.