You Can't Force a Video to Go Viral Video, So Make This Video Go Viral!

Catch the Virus

Now that my own mother has friended me on Facebook, I know that we've entered a new phase of social media. But what exactly is it?

My guess is that we've hurtled headlong into The Great Sorting Out--at least when it comes to the marketing applications within social media. This is what happens when a critical mass of the population finally tunes into something (like Facebook), but at the same time, economic pressures make sure that no efforts are wasted and only the strongest survive.

This will be a healthy phase. There will be less pressure to do something (like Twitter) just because it's new, and more impetus to make rational decisions. For me, that starts with defining one particular element properly: "viral."

Credit a friend and colleague who recently offered these words of wisdom: "Viral" is an outcome, not a tactic.

Now, I won't go so far as to say you can't set out to make a viral video (you'll see why in my next post), but viralness, viralocity, viralocitude (or whatever you want to call it) is ultimately an attribute that is earned, not made. Put differently, to claim that you're making a viral video is akin to saying you're filming an Oscar-winning movie. The market decides, not you.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to share this post on Facebook and see what my mother thinks of it.

Thank You.

A year ago today, I did a very scary thing: I handed over a letter of resignation, walked away from a good job and created a two-contractor household during a recession. On Feb. 1, 2008, I woke up with a mortgage, a four-year old, no business card, no website, no clients and no source of income. My father sent me a New York Times article on the looming economic meltdown with a one-word personal message: "bleak."

But today was a different story. Today, despite a morning temperature of 21 degrees below zero, I just finished the most rewarding day of work in my life. I shot a commercial that I developed and wrote, based on an idea that is absolutely ridiculous and absurd, and which I hope you and many others will see in the coming weeks and months.

In honor of my one-year anniversary, I just wanted to say thank you. The support I've received in my first 12 months has been nothing short of amazing. I've seen friends insist on paying for services that I would have offered for free. I've been hired by people I haven't worked with for 10 years. I've had colleagues share their clients, buy me lunch and give me a conference room to work in until I got on my feet. I've experienced the wonder of simply being trusted for no apparent reason.

When you start your own business, they call it "going out on your own." The truth is, I've never felt less alone. Thank you for making Conk Creative not only a reality, but a dream come true.

And here's to 2009.

- Marc

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Random Rewrite #4: Chick-Fil-A

So close, yet so far away. I love the concept behind Chick-Fil-A's current marketing campaign, but I'm afraid it's a classic case of "doing the overdo."

The idea that Chick-Fil-A should launch a campaign that gives voice to cows who are sneakily trying to get America to eat more chicken is clever and entertaining enough. But something about its execution has always bugged me, and I finally figured out what it is. The sign should read:

"Eat More Chicken."

There's simply no reason to go the extra mile and misspell "more" ("mor") and "chicken" ("chikin"). It might've sounded funny in the meetings to assume that cows can't spell. The problem is, the misspelling is jarring to the audience. You're so focused on the misspelling that you lose the broader concept. And by the time the ad is over, the average viewer is going, "Huh?"

(And the font is a bit creepy.)

Integrity Is Sexy!

When I think of it, the most common marketing problem I've heard companies express over the last 10 years (including just this afternoon), could be paraphrased as this:

"Our industry is growing increasingly commoditized. We don't want to compete on price. We want to compete on value."

It'll be interesting to see what happens as we enter the Repression of 2009 (I've chosen to combine "recession" and "depression"). The marketplace for marketing could go in one of two directions. Either every service will be commoditized like never before, and we'll find ourselves in a price-cutting death spiral, or we'll learn the true lesson of what has gotten us to where we are today: motivations matter.

"The Method," as it's called in acting circles, was derived from Stanislavski's "System," in which the actor starts by asking, "What's my motivation?" (thank you, Wikipedia). What I find with companies like the one I met with today is that their biggest selling point is the integrity of their motivations: Their motivations truly do align with the client's.

In the era of credit default swaps and naked short selling (basically economic anarchy, or legalized gambling), this isn't just a nice-sounding, pat-on-the-head kind of a message. It's serious benefit, and I think it has a fighting chance in the coming year, because we live in a world where it seems like no one is actually advocating for us.

As a wannabe screenwriter with a script on the market, I have a manager whose attention I attracted by winning a national contest. The decision to work with him was one of the easiest of my life. Why? Because he only gets paid if I get paid. His motivation is to see my script sold, because if he does, he gets 10 percent of the price tag. That not only doesn't bother me, it's a breath of fresh air. Yes, the motivations of agents and managers become more nuanced with screenwriters (not to mention actors and directors) who actually become successful, but for a first-timer, it truly is black and white.

Think about exploiting your integrity in 2009 (no, it's not an oxymoron). If you don't, you'll be competing on price alone, struggling to tread water and screaming, "I coulda been a contenda!"