KONY 2012, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL VIDEO VIRAL EVER?

There is no denying Kony 2012 has been the fastest spreading video viral released to date.

So, how did they do it? What is it that has given this video over 50 million views in just four days?

Well, it is partly building on prior YouTube success. Before the release of Kony 2012 they already had over two million views of their 276 videos. As each video is linked they reinforce eachother throwing them straight into the number one spot on the search engines. Their channel has over two hundred thousand subscribers – who will also retweet, repost, and generally embed the video all over the web.

So they had the infrastructure – but what really made this video fly was the emotive call to action. The whole point is to make itself famous to make Joseph Kony famous – therefore you watch it and then share it. I put it straight on my Facebook page – something I rarely do with anything other than my own work!

So, what is the lesson for us here at Adelia Television? Well mainly that slick production can cut it as a viral video – most truly viral videos trending now are professional productions not like the shaky cam kittens and Fails of the last few years. Also that you can now put a half-hour programme and broadband speeds and computer technology is such that people will watch it. Just four years ago the online manager of a major rolling news channel told me that online viewers have an attention span of 50 seconds so all virals should be shorter!

So a few lessons learnt but despite the films failings (of which there are many) I am left with the feeling that I wish I had made that!

 

For all the people that love to criticise the film I will copy here a very short summary of my views as posted to Facebook:

‘One step at a time and I for one am pleased that finally a world wide movement will bring all the issues to the top of every politicians agenda, without economic or defensive justification, but purely based on outrage at the continuing infringement of human rights… We have all seen the stories of child soldiers and the LRA on the news but this is the first time every individual has the ability to add their voice to the journalists prose. It may be a one dimensional movement, but it WILL make a difference, all thanks to a very well put together half-hour video that will be endlessly critiqued but unlikely to be bettered…’