This blog was originally posted by our friends over at Melbourne.co.uk.  Thanks to Rajesh Joshi at Melbourne’s Serverlove for allowing us to use this as a guest blog.

We love sharing funny, moving and clever videos around the office at Melbourne. Recent ones that have done the rounds include a 999 call by a women reporting the theft of a snowman and the Cassette Boy remix of Dragons’ Den (possibly NSFW).

But my favourite one is an old classic from the early days of YouTube.

What makes all these videos shareable? Why do I forward them round to my colleagues over email, Twitter or instant messaging?

As Geth from Young said at last night’s Feed, the key to making someone share a good piece of content is for it to elicit an emotional response. Whether it makes you laugh, cry or – in the case of the Picard video – simply feel bemused at the ultimate cultish geekiness, it has to do something to make us even think about sharing it with our friends.

And that really is it. ‘Viral marketing’ is not a panacea, nor is it something for which there’s a secret formula. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that they term ‘viral marketing’ is an opportunistic branding of a natural phenomenon. Dan Carrol expanded on this in his guest post for The Feed last week.

Content is key: always has been and always will be. None of the videos I’ve linked above intrinsically sell a product – but they’re bloody funny. Anyone producing content that they want people to share is going to have to compete with these and more. Take a look at James Webb’s blog post (and inevitable associated infographic!) about the most watched and searched for terms on YouTube. With so much high-quality – and low-humour content – there’s no way that anyone can guarantee that something can “go viral”. However, latching onto the trends of the day can definitely help users discover and subsequently share your content if it’s any good.

In short, the best way to harness the viral effect is to make something special that gets you thinking and make sure it gets found by users. Anyone that tries to sell you a ‘viral marketing campaign’ is selling you snake oil.

It’s not often we shout about advertising. After all, in our industry, there’s no contest between editorial and ‘paid for content’. However, every so often, an advert comes along which gets people talking and captures the mood of an entire
nation.

John Lewis’ Christmas advert, which aired during X Factor on Friday evening, did just that. Already, it has been dubbed ‘the best promotion of all time’ and clocked up over 620,000 YouTube hits. Its theme tune, a cover of The Smiths song Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want, is also on course for Christmas number one.

If you haven’t seen it (and I very much doubt that’s true), the advert follows a cute young boy who waits impatiently for Christmas. His eagerness, it transpires, is not because he wants to open his stash of presents, but simply
because he can’t wait to give a gift to his parents – cue the tears.

The ad had people on Twitter weeping into their iPhones on Friday night and was trending in the UK for nearly two days.

Maybe it’s the recession, but the ad taps in perfectly to the current zeitgeist of the nation – one that yearns for simple wholesome values, vintage nostalgia and a winsome family Christmas. Compared to the efforts of the other big retailers, it knocks the competition out of the water.

The ad is not without its detractors. Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker has said: “Anyone who wells up at that John Lewis ad is a monster” – and a mash-up the soundtrack of Stephen King’s The Shining has also been created. Still, it looks like John Lewis’ masterpiece is destined to be the advert, if not the soundtrack, of the season.

The lyrics to Auld Lang Syne may be sang a little more accurately (if not with somewhat less merriment) this year with the launch of ArKay – the world’s first ‘alcohol-free whisky’.

Now, I’m no expert when it comes to whisky or its distillery process. However, even with my limited knowledge, I can’t help but wonder how this ‘alcohol-free’ whisky can really be labelled as whisky at all – and it would appear I’m not alone.

The Scotch Whisky Association has gone on record as saying it is not possible to create alcohol-free whisky. It’s even gone so far as to accuse Scottish Spirits Ltd – the company that makes the beverage – of trying to exploit whisky’s reputation with highly irresponsible marketing.

The fact that Scottish Spirits Ltd is a Florida-based company that produces ArKay in Panama does nothing to strengthen its claim or reputation!

Scottish Sprits Ltd has got the timing of this product absolutely right – it’s seasonal and will sit well with the many anti-drink drive campaigns about to be shown across the national media. However the marketing – and indeed the labelling – of the product is way off the mark.

Claiming to be something that it’s so obviously not has infuriated what may well have been its core audience. Then again, perhaps trying to convince whisky drinkers to switch their tipple for something with a lot less kick was always going to be an impossible task!

Like a cucumber sandwich, an Aston Martin or a Corgi, Burberry is quintessentially British. Founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, the luxe fashion label is celebrated for its sought-after rain macs and tartan print.

Of late, British beauties – including Agyness Deyn, Rosie Huntington-Whitetely and Emma Watson – have become ‘faces’ of the brand, donning iconic trench coats and sultry poses for huge advertising campaigns. Many a fashionista has also waited with bated breath to get their first peep at the label’s latest designs.

Yet, despite being steeped in tradition, Burberry has decided to buck the trend when it comes to marketing. The FT has reported that Burberry now spends over 60 per cent of its marketing budget on digital media, having ditched glossy print ads in favour of a global Facebook campaign.

Expertly timed for the launch of its latest fragrance, Burberry Body, the fashion house is now spending triple the market average on social networking activity.

The bold move is already paying off. Today, Burberry has over 8 million Facebook ‘likes’ – an increase of 500,000 fans in just a week – and more than 250,000 people have now signed up online to receive a free sample of the new scent.

The label’s certainly come a long way since 2005, when Burberry nail art and Daniella Westbrook’s head-to-toe Burberry attire turned the brand from chic to chav!

In PR terms, Burberry is now flying the flag not only for ‘Britishness’, but also for how a brand can genuinely engage with consumers on social networking platforms. Of course there’s kudos attached to appearing in the pages of Vogue, but who can argue with a digital shift that appeals directly to people in their hundreds of thousands?

Last Friday I attended Ladies’ Day at Aintree Racecourse. Having become something of a regular over the past few years, it’s become clear that the only sport us ladies (and the Daily Mail) REALLY care about on the day is power-dressing.

The Matalan-sponsored style contest is always a highlight of Ladies’ Day. The pull of the substantial prize – a holiday for two in Saint Lucia, £5,000 cash, over £1,000 of vouchers and a Matalan photo shoot – is enough to make thousands of female racegoers wait for hours to register. But, what really makes the women of the North West queue for miles around the ‘style enclosure’ is the fact that this is a contest open to all. Having been judged by Coleen Rooney, champion of ‘real women’, until this year, Matalan’s style contest is judged on how you look, not how much you’ve spent. According to Matalan’s marketing manager, the great thing about the competition is “that it’s about style rather than fashion”, i.e. it doesn’t matter what your outfit cost or where it’s from.

I was therefore a little surprised when, this year, 33-year-old Lystra Adams triumphed, wearing a Vivienne Westwood suit, Prada shoes, a Christian Louboutin bag and a towering hat hand-made by York milliner Dawn Guibert. I think Matalan might have its marketing messages muddled.

Surely the idea of a discount fashion retailer championing a ‘style’ contest at an event attended, mostly, by ‘Joe public’, is a great marketing platform for Matalan to shout: “Look! You don’t need loads of dosh to have style! See how fabulous you can look without spending gazzilions on your outfit. If you shop at Matalan you can afford to look this stylish everyday!”

Instead, race horse owner and designer diva Lystra, will now feature in the chain’s new adverts. I’m sure she’s someone that every Matalan shopper, frantically scouring the racks for a cheapo ten quid dress for Friday night, can really identify with.

Coca-Cola released the ‘Happiness Machine’ in the UK yesterday – a new viral which was filmed candidly and unscripted at a London university.

The viral made its first outing in the US earlier this year, notching-up an impressive one million hits in the first week of its release. In little under 24 hours, the British version has now been seen over 40,000 times.  

Filmed at Imperial College London, the vending machine deposits standard cans of Coke before a helpful hand appears to dispatch strawberries and cream, a game of Twister and a whole tray of cupcakes, much to the delight of the student crowd that are gathered around it.

Coca-Cola’s marketing has always been built on transforming what is essentially a sickly brown drink into a lifestyle choice and the new viral scores big in this respect, creating an emotional connection with the right audience and in the desired space.

Not content with teaching the world to sing, it appears Coca-Cola is committed to cornering the happiness market with a resounding digital presence. CMO Joseph Tripodi has made it clear that dramatic changes in consumer engagement have led to an aggressive digital strategy underpinned by content management – and it’s a strategy that is most definitely working.

Earlier this year ‘Happiness Ambassadors’ were recruited to visit each of the 206 countries where Coca-Cola is sold to record their journey and blog about what makes people happy, whilst the latest viral ticks all the boxes for an online sensation.

I don’t even like the stuff but I’m hankering for a can. And note to Coca-Cola HQ – if you want to distribute any more of this happiness – the Peppermint team will gladly look after a ‘machine’ for you.

Amid the spoils of a slow news day – awash with hysteria about Cameron’s baby and yawnsome analysis of X factor’s first episode – not to mention a cat in a bin (it is August after all), I was heartened to read a small feature that will hopefully have much louder ramifications over the coming months.

The high-street, it appears, is on the verge of a renaissance. Research from The Retail Insider has shown high streets are fighting back against the continued threat from out-of-town sites and online shopping, with increasing evidence showing that shoppers are recognising the value of their local stores.

For the first time in many years, footfall trends show the high street is performing better than retail parks. According to Experian Footfall Data, retail parks experienced a worrying decline of 2.7 per cent during July, compared with a lesser 0.6 per cent fall recorded for the retail market as a whole.

In sharp contrast, BDO found that like-for-like sales on the high street were up by a healthy 5.8 per cent for the week ending 8 August. The stats are from two different sources and covering differing periods, but according to The Retail Insider: “an interesting trend seems to have emerged.”

The Centre for Retail Research weighed in with the results of a UK survey, which found 10 per cent of city dwellers now shop locally three times per week, compared with only once a week three years ago. Grocery experts IGD, also found a net 24 per cent of people expected to be using specialist neighbourhood stores more often by 2012.

Having previously worked in Manchester’s King Street, and seen its miserable decline, it’s heart warming to see that the game is far from over for the high street. However, with pressure from online retailers, it is clear the high street is going to have to work harder than ever, to claw back the punters.

It seems that a quick sweepstake of retail success stories shows that creativity is at the heart of the fledgling boom, as independents look to deliver what sitting at home simply can’t.

 If this trend is to continue, it is the individuality of the shopping experience which is going to win back the punters. Pop-up retail is one trend that is driving retail innovation (loving your work Hey Little Cupcake!), whilst street food festivals and German markets have all helped boost footfall to town centres when implemented by local councils.

As the four month gong to Christmas was sounded out by Scott Mills yesterday, the high street is set for its most lucrative quarter of the year yet.  Let’s hope the rise in consumer confidence is set for an upward trajectory, and I for one will see you down the high street.

Old Spice − a good Christmas present for granddad and a logo resembling the Blue Peter ship. These were the first thoughts that sprung to mind which is hardly surprising considering it’s a 71-year-old brand.  How very wrong I was…

Something rather exciting was going on in the Twittersphere last night. Wearing just a towel (and cheesy grin), the @OldSpice Man was responding to online mentions of the brand in a personalised YouTube video directly to you from a bathroom. He was also answering questions from Yahoo Answers, comments on posts and it seemed anything else posted about Old Spice on the Internet. At first I thought it was a very obvious use of a promoted tweet and scantily clad male model to make the blokes jealous and the ladies ‘ooo’ and ‘ahhh.’ But, the videos were genuinely funny and struck the perfect tone for the brand.

Well that was me set for the evening. I was gripped, highly amused and in awe of a campaign that seemed to have got it so very right! How measurable this is going to be, I’m not sure, but the Old Spice man was keeping up well and successfully interacting with his bemused audience. I was keeping a close eye on the ever-increasing number of Twitter followers which doubled to nearly 12,000 in just a couple of hours. Oh and when I looked this morning it was nearing the 30,000 followers mark.

It must be the fresh man smell because there ain’t no flies on the Old Spice man (or perhaps his PR team) as a few of the video responses were very shrewdly targeted at prolific tweeters (with over a million followers) and journalists. Hello exposure.

The only disappointment of the evening is that I’m still waiting for my response…

Aside from the buff Old Spice man, another brand hoping to gain exposure by exposing in its latest viral campaign is Perrier and its partnership with Dita Von Teese. I’m yet to come across any real online buzz but the story had great coverage in the red tops so watch this space.

Yesterday, in my first glimpse of daytime TV since my student days, I caught a lively debate about the proposed guidelines for broadcast product placement. 

The focus of the discussion was the ‘P’ symbol that will appear before and after programmes to warn viewers that they contain product placement. The gist was that viewers don’t want to be patronised by this symbol and feel that they can easily spot product placement without it.

We’ve all seen product placement done very badly. The Coca Cola cups on American Idol to name just one example. The bottom line is that this initiative won’t work for the viewer or brand and therefore nor will it for the broadcaster. The real beauty of product placement and PR in general is that it should be seamless and so well placed that it’s invisible (at least to the masses). 

Whilst my gut instinct is to think that seeing Heinz on Heartbeat or Kellogg’s on Corrie could be a bit naff, done well, it is highly strategic and effective. How many girls can say that they don’t fancy a pair of Louboutins when they watch Carrie swishing down Fifth Avenue in hers? And what man would turn down a drive in Jack Bauer’s Ford Exhibition? 

Going back to whether viewers need to be warned, I’m inclined to say – probably not. Product placement could benefit TV quality as long as broadcasters don’t insist on crowbarring irrelevant products into the scripts. After all, this much-needed revenue should help to improve the quality of programming, and an actual product is a far more realistic addition than anything a prop department could offer. The door of opportunity is wide open and we’re intrigued to see which brands capitalise on it.

Listening to this morning’s piece on sugary kids’ cereals on the Today programme turned my stomach.  Weasel words from Dr Clare Leonard, a nutritionist in bed with the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers.  Here’s an industry that shamelessly dresses up cereals laden with up to 30% sugar as a nutritious breakfast.  In the face of a damning report from Which?, Dr Leonard trotted out all the ‘key messages’ in support of children’s cereals: it’s eaten with milk blah blah so sugar content is not actually 30%, got lots of vitamins and minerals blah, contributes one of five a day blah blah. Sugar-coated rubbish, all of it.

I’m ashamed to say that, once upon a time, I was a cog in this colossal deception.  For six years of my career (pre-kids), I happily promoted a lot of those food ingredients which I now try to avoid. You’ve seen those labels that shout meaningless, unregulated benefits such as ‘homestyle’ and ‘natural’?  Well, I penned many a press release extolling the benefits of certain ingredients which allow food manufacturers to suggest that their products were something they weren’t.

It’s the dishonesty that gets me. Sugary treats are sugary treats: we all know they aren’t great for us but they’re a nice indulgence. On the other hand, deliberately marketing an outrageously sugary cereal as a nutritous, vitamin-packed start to the day just makes me seethe. The nadir of this trend was the execrable Sunny Delight – in my opinion, the greatest marketing con of the last century. Thank goodness, it was ultimately unmasked as the hideously unnatural cocktail it is, but not before hoodwinking an entire nation into thinking it was ‘Florida style’ fresh orange juice.

It’s high time for marketing of food products to be properly regulated so that unsuspecting parents can at least know fact from fiction and make their choice accordingly.