Viral Ad Network

The DRUM Viral Brand Chart – Top trending video ad campaigns

It’s been a cracking year so far for experiential ad campaigns and public pranks are top of the list when it comes to viral marketing techniques guaranteed to capture the interweb’s attention. So it’s not surprising to see hidden camera stunts dominating this week’s Viral Brand Chart.

Photoshop Live – Street Retouch Prank – Snatching the number one slot with over 12.5 million views and nearly 25 thousand Facebook and Twitter shares, is Adobe’s Street Retouch Prank, created by Swedish agency, Abby Norm.

The concept of the ad is pretty simple; take one public bus stop, install an interactive digital billboard with some hidden cameras and place a couple of Photoshop gurus in a van around the corner ready to edit the live camera footage into personalised ads. Now throw in some unsuspecting would-be passengers to star in the posters and hey presto, you have the recipe for viral magic!

Passers-by saw themselves transposed into a variety of unlikely situations, with one man being shrunk down and turned into a tiny genie wriggling around in a glass bottle, another guy was transformed into a muscled action hero, while two young strangers become the subjects of a rom-com style movie trailer.

The campaign was designed to showcase the artistic possibilities of Photoshop and promote Adobe’s Creative Day. It’s the perfect example of the playful new breed of experiential advertising that’s been sweeping across the web, proving that fancy special effects and celebrity endorsements aren’t necessary to create a smash hit viral video.

#PubLooShocker – Coming in at number two is another hidden camera viral, only this one is a damn site less fun! We’re all used to seeing disturbing PSA videos by now and the Department of Transport’s drink-driving campaigns have featured some pretty nasty scenarios over the years in an effort to curb drink-driving deaths, but there’s something about the realism of this latest ad that makes it especially shocking.

Created by advertising agency Leo Burnett, the video used hidden cameras set up in the men’s bathroom of a pub to film unsuspecting members of the public entering the toilet. As they approached the mirror they were literally brought face to face with a bloody head as it smashed through the glass, terrifying pub-goers and viewers alike. The hidden cameras perfectly capture the genuine shock and horror of the poor guys on film, adding to the realism of the campaign and making for a remarkably sobering viewing experience.

What makes this video stand out from the many other ads using experiential marketing to raise brand awareness is that it is so strongly focused on creating a negative experience, using horror tactics rather than the usual lighthearted pranks focused on creating a fun, comedic experience for the people involved.

Shock is an excellent sharing trigger for viral content and with #PubLooShocker clocking up close to 6 million views and counting since it was released less than a week ago, it looks like the ad has definitely delivered the kind of impact to get people talking.

The DRUM UGC Chart – top trending homemade and entertainment virals.

Belgian optical illusionist Brusspup has topped the UGC Viral Chart this week with another awesome experiment, this time he’s recreating what is known as the ‘Chladni plate’ test, using a tone generator and a metal plate attached to a speaker to cause randomly scattered grains of sand to form beautiful geometric patterns – pure physics in action! (If you like this be sure to check out his Amazing Water & Sound Experiment, it’s pretty epic!)

Also trending this week; a Detroit radio station unleashed a Ryan Gosling lookalike on the city streets to see how fans reacted – cue lots of screaming, gushing and a few tears; The Philadelphia Orchestra entertained passengers on a delayed flight with an impromptu musical performance; and AsapSCIENCE looks into the physics of dreaming and some pretty amazing studies demonstrating new technology that could be the first step to being able to actually record people’s dreams as they sleep!

Squeak of the Week – This might actually be the most relaxed bunny you will ever see! (don’t worry, he’s not dead, just really, REALLY chilled out!)

For all of the chart news and the full run down of the most shared online videos this week, check out The Drum Viral Video Chart, powered VAN, or follow @JoinVan to stay up to date with the latest industry news and YouTube gossip.

The DRUM Viral Brand Chart – Top trending video ad campaigns

Swisscom has shot straight to the top of the Viral Brand Chart this week with a fun competition offering commuters at a Zurich train station the chance to win a free Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.

The challenge – simply stare at a digital picture of the handset for 1 hour without looking away (blinking was allowed), sound easy? Well it might be, if there weren’t motorbikes, sniffer dogs, fires and a whole host of other things trying to distract you!

The campaign, by ad agency Heimat, showcased the Galaxy S4’s inbuilt Smart Pause function, which meant if a participant’s eyes strayed for just a millisecond, the buzzer went off and the challenge was failed.

It’s a pretty simple concept, but experiential marketing campaigns have seen a massive rise in popularity recently and the mobile phone network is the latest in a long line of brands to cash in on the marketing trend, clocking up nearly 3.5 million views and over 50 thousand Facebook and Twitter shares.

Also trending this week, Coca-Cola continues its mission to single handedly spread ‘friendship and sharing’ across the world with the new Sharing Can, which, as the name suggests, can be split into two halves, perfect for sharing with a friend.

The campaign follows on from the release last month of Coke bottles with personalised name labels, (a pretty genius idea IMO – who can resist the egotistical draw of something that looks like it was made especially for you. I’ve lost track of the amount of friends sharing photos of coke bottles with their name on them in my newsfeeds recently). The concept of spreading happiness has certainly become an integral part of the Coca-Cola advertising strategy, and it looks like an angle the brand is sticking with it!

Elsewhere in the viral chart, Heineken continues its hidden camera social experiments, this time round, drinkers in Mexico City were approached by a mysterious woman with 2 tickets to watch the Champions League Final. So what’s the catch? Well, it’s in London, they need to be at the airport in 2 hours and of course Heineken aren’t going to make the journey to get there easy. 

The DRUM UGC Chart – top trending homemade and entertainment virals.

Top of the UGC listings is one of my favourite videos this week – an adorable little animal lover called Luiz, who’s single-handedly fighting the cause for vegetarianism with a charming explanation about why he doesn’t want to eat his squid dinner… “So when we eat animals they die? I don’t like that they die, I like that they stay standing up.” The original version of this video was on well over 4 million views but since it’s now been removed, here’s a link to an alternative upload.

Squeak of the Week: It’s not just cats being all sensitive and sad about this confusing old world we live in, the dogs are at it too!

For all of the chart news and the full run down of the most shared online videos this week, check out The Drum Viral Video Chart, powered VAN, or follow @JoinVan to stay up to date with the latest industry news and YouTube gossip.

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