Viral Ad Network

Our meme hunters have been busily scouring the net to see what you’ve been loving this month, from awesome pizza eating techniques and annoying teenagers to the deconstruction of the modern meme, here’s a quick round up of some of the things that popped up on our radar…

Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art? It’s no secret that we love our memes here at VAN and LOLCats are among our favorites, but should they be considered as more than just a fad of the new internet generation and actually regarded as an art form in their own right?

Although the term LOLcat is fairly recent, the idea of photographing our little feline friends and adding amusing captions isn’t a new one, examples go back as far as the 1870’s with images like this from photographer Harry Pointer. It may sound odd but memes like Trollface, Business Cat and Socially Awkward Penguin have evolved into widely recognised vehicles of self expression and communication that anyone can use to convey thoughts and trends; the core principle of any art form. The Idea Channel examines the place of memes in modern day culture, taking a closer look at whether or not these internet creations could truly be considered as art

The Dark Knight Rises – It’s probably one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year, Christopher Nolan’s final installment of the awesome Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. With the release date drawing ever closer, fan-based parodies are springing up all over the net, from funny spoof clips like Bane Speaks to this brilliant little stop motion animation from Paranickfilmz – Batman + Lego = genius!

Sweet Brown: No time for bronchitis – When the news crew interviewed this Oklahoma City resident they probably had no idea they were about to strike internet viral gold.

Her enthusiastic rendition of her escape from a burning apartment building earlier this month has made her into a YouTube sensation with over 3 million views and a host of parody remixes including this hilarious Autotune remix.

Lawyer Dog Vs Business Cat – Look out Business Cat, there’s a new corporate pet in town! The cat Vs dog rivalry continues this month as Lawyer Dog storms onto the internet scene, with his sharp power dress suit and snappy one liners, challenging business cat to win the nations hearts.

Business cat does not look impressed!

Hot Problems - Oh dear, you would think the world would have learnt a lesson from Samantha Brick and Rebecca Black, sadly not! With 5 million views in just over a week and the tag line ‘Life is hard when you’re a hot girl,’ these teenagers have shot to internet stardom, but the public backlash and host of negative reaction videos and parodies may be about to teach them that not all fame is good fame.

Henri2, Pawde Deux – You might remember Henri, the depressed French cat. Well the existential little moggy is back in this awesome follow up video, still wallowing in ennui and lamenting the lack of meaning to his existence. This time he’s learnt some new life lessons, ‘we cannot escape our selves. And sometimes the cat door… is closed’. Though life being a cat!

Finally, most awesome way to eat a Pizza EVER!

If you see anything you love online tweet us @ViralAdNetwork and we’ll give you a shout out if we share it!

Dumt & Farligt – Phantom Flex Highlights – Ever wondered what would happen if you microwaved a bottle of red wine, exploded your waterbed or released a fireworks display in your living room? Well, no need to destroy your house to find out because insane duo Jan Elhøj and Lasse Spang Olsen have done it for you on their new Danish TV program, the title of which literally translates as stupid and dangerous, and you can watch it all here in glorious slow motion!

There’s no real story or science behind the show, from what I can gather the main aim is just to crush, explode and destroy as many household items as possible – simples! I’m not usually a massive fan of stupid Jack Ass style antics but there is something mesmerizingly beautiful about watching the clips at a super slow motion 2500 frames per second that leaves me crying out for more, (and also kind of makes me want to own a slow motion camera – clever bit of viral advertising for the Phantom Flex!)

A dramatic surprise on a quiet square – With nearly 27 million views in less than 2 weeks this video is set to become one of the most shared ads of the year so far. Made by Belgium agency Duval Quillaume Modem to launch the new TV channel TNT, it’s set in a “little town in Belgium” in a “square where nothing really happens,” that is, until someone placed a giant red button and invited people to press it to add drama.

So what happens when you push the button? Well, as promised lots of drama ensues… ambulance sirens blare, semi clad ladies on motorbikes speed past as men brawl in the street and police shoot masked robbers from across the square while baffled passers by watch in shock – all the magic ingredients for an instant viral hit!

OMG, Lickable lifts! – I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and come away with a head filled full of ideas about living in an edible world. I used to imagine what the flowers on my wallpaper might taste like and fantasize about being able to eat the furniture. Of course I’ve long since put such childish notions behind me, that was until I saw the latest campaign for McVities Jaffa Cakes… edible wallpaper!!

The installation was part of an innovation competition hosted by London based communications firm Engine, who invited agencies to take over a lift for 2 weeks and customise it in their own unique way. It was the PR agency Mischief who came up with the idea of tasty wallpaper, commissioning a team of food technicians and artists to create the Jaffa Cake flavoured slickers.

I’m not sure I would personally be too keen to lick the walls of a lift that had had the tongues of half the office on it already but apparently they had a special lift assistant whose job it was to supervise the licking activity and replace used stickers to prevent licking cross over – amazing!

Girls going wild in red light district – Famed for its red light district, Amsterdam attracts thousands of visitors every year, curios about the spectacle of prostitution.

This awesome awareness campaign created by Duval Guillaume Modem and produced by Monodot in support of Stop the Traffik highlights the exploitation of the sex trafficking industry. The silence from passers by at the end says it all really, it’s an interesting campaign and well worth a watch.

Change the tune poster – Now, before anyone gets too excited, this is not available to buy #SadFace. It was built as a research and design project at Agency Republic to help improve democracy when it comes to choosing the daily office soundtrack. It’s an awesome little accessory for anyone who works in a team of people with ‘questionable music tastes’, please let someone release one on the market soon, we need one here in the VAN office!!