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How did Rebecca Black get so viral?

by HazeBlazer
17 replies
She was a nobody, and in one night she made it big, how did they get her video to be so viral? How do you get anything to go viral like this?

My dad owns a health supplement product that I'm going to try to get to go viral. I don't know much about SEO but I'm building a budget, right now I'm experimenting with CPA and flyer marketing.

Please any thoughts very appreciated. Thanks.
#black #rebecca #viral
  • Profile picture of the author fuzzycorleone
    4chan made her viral
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  • Profile picture of the author James Foster
    There's a bit of a difference between a person and their song going viral and trying to get a health supplement product to go viral...

    You're talking about apples and oranges here.
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  • Profile picture of the author TiffLee
    Originally Posted by HazeBlazer View Post

    She was a nobody, and in one night she made it big, how did they get her video to be so viral?
    ... because her video was so horrendously bad, that it was good.

    My dad owns a health supplement product that I'm going to try to get to go viral. I don't know much about SEO but I'm building a budget, right now I'm experimenting with CPA and flyer marketing..
    You may not want to follow the 'Rebecca Black Path,' unless your dad's health product is equally "horrendously bad."
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Clay
      Originally Posted by TiffLee View Post

      ... because her video was so horrendously bad, that it was good.



      You may not want to follow the 'Rebecca Black Path,' unless your dad's health product is equally "horrendously bad."
      TiffLee is pretty much right. Watch her video for "Friday" and you'll most likely laugh at horribly bad it is. It was so funny that people just had to share it and had to write all sorts of wacky comments about the video.
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      • Profile picture of the author uniboy7
        Its because of her music, everybody was making fun of it so they spreaded it FAST!
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  • Profile picture of the author magneticweb
    It's not whether it's good or bad; it's whether it strikes a nerve, and if it does . . . you're home and dry.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Holmes
    Her parents are incredibly wealthy. I'm sure you can work out the rest.
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  • Profile picture of the author aceofsaves
    If you want to know how to spread things, you need to read "Buzzmarketing" by Mark Hughes. You will then understand.

    In a nutshell, things go viral because they strike an emotion in the person watching it. "Friday" is a great case study because what it did was make people realize that the song showed everything that is wrong with the music industry. Because it was so outrageous (whether intentional or not) it triggered a feeling in people of "I MUST SHARE THIS".

    Whether it's to make fun or comment it still got spread. If you are trying to figure out how to make a supplement company content go viral you need to tap into that motivation. You need to somehow push buttons and MAKE people WANT to spread it.
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  • Profile picture of the author SocialMediaOwls
    Because her mother did the smartest thing in the world:

    Gave a good chunk of cash to a good internet marketer....

    And the rest is history
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by James Foster View Post

      There's a bit of a difference between a person and their song going viral and trying to get a health supplement product to go viral...

      You're talking about apples and oranges here.
      Not just apples and oranges. More like apples and pinochle cards.

      A couple of seasons ago on Celebrity Apprentice, one of the tasks was to "create a viral video for [some detergent]." Even with a plug on a very popular TV show, neither video "went viral", losing any slight momentum within hours of the show's airing.

      As much as we'd like to think there's a way, no one has come up with a reliable way to "make a video go viral."
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanmilligan
    Banned
    Because she is annoying as hell.


    Things that go viral tend to be either funny, annoying or vicious.

    For example:

    Funny - Two girls, one cup. Yes it was disgusting and sickening to watch but deep down you really did want to laugh a bit.

    Annoying - Annoying orange or Rebecca Black

    Vicious - That video of the asian kid getting attacked by a group of boys. That went viral stupidly quick because of the rage it brought to everybody. Just goes to show when something bad happens the world can really stick together.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ewan1998
      Banned
      Originally Posted by ryanmilligan View Post

      Because she is annoying as hell.


      Things that go viral tend to be either funny, annoying or vicious.

      For example:

      Funny - Two girls, one cup. Yes it was disgusting and sickening to watch but deep down you really did want to laugh a bit.

      Annoying - Annoying orange or Rebecca Black

      Vicious - That video of the asian kid getting attacked by a group of boys. That went viral stupidly quick because of the rage it brought to everybody. Just goes to show when something bad happens the world can really stick together.
      Exactly this. It's the reaction off of people that makes videos go viral. There's no technique. I bet you that internet marketer her mum hired had a hint it would kind of go viral, because it's pretty annoying.
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      • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
        It is a sickening freak of human nature...much the same way people rush to the scene of a grisly accident -only to turn away in horror and disgust at the sight of it.

        It went past viral.

        It used to take YEARS of hard work to become an "over-night sensation"...

        Was it stupid? Yes.
        Did they capitalize on it? YES!

        That incident should from now on be referred to as: The Rebecca Black Plague.
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    People spread her video making fun of her. It had nothing to do with good marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
    But...in the sense you want a video that could go viral for a health supplement...

    A video of outrageous physical feats, or stunts, parkour, or world records comes to mind...like this for instance:


    People interested by fitness will be attracted to it, and the product is more targeted...

    (or others involving sports by people who might try the product)
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  • Profile picture of the author LoganCoolBike
    People are making good points here, going viral is, by definition, something that cannot be reliably planned. And the previous comments are also correct, that creating a viral music video is a lot different than a viral ad for a health supplement. And also a big portion of Rebecca Black's popularity was people laughing at her. Might seem mean to laugh at someone's video, but she got a contract out of it.

    You can use a similar model for your ads. If you (or your dad) don't take yourself too seriously, and have a sense of humor, you can do something in a similar style. Make an ad that "so bad it's good". You could do a parody of an old late night commercial from the 80s. You could even do a terrible music video.

    Going viral isn't something you can plan, but it's something you can try for, and the same model that made Rebecca Black can be adapted for other uses.

    Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author Danny McConnell
      If you want a quick lesson it what it takes to go viral, look at Superbowl ads. These guys spend millions on getting ads made by some high buck agencies and more tying to make them viral. These are very good ads and most of THEM fall short of the mark. In fact one of the more popular ads was one slapped together by a kid.

      Still, you might as well take a shot at it. What have you got to lose? Make sure that the videos serve a purpose other than just being a shot in the dark, though.
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