That 30-second spot may be the pride of your ad agency, but your hopes of it "going viral" may be overly optimistic. In fact, research firm Millward Brown has two words for that idea: pipe dream! Unless you hire Kim Kardashian to star in it, that is. In a study to be released next week, Millward Brown found that fewer than one in six ads becomes even a mild viral success and that only a tiny percentage of commercials will hit the lofty heights of Old Spice’s "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" (shown here) and E*Trade’s "Milkaholic." It takes some combination of brand engagement, buzz, high-profile celebrity and originality to compel people to seek out a commercial online, watch it and pass it along. The now-famous Super Bowl Snickers ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda has racked up more than 1.3 million views on YouTube, for instance, because it’s engaging, buzzy and features well-recognized celebrities, Millward Brown said. The Carl’s Jr. ad where Kardashian drips salad dressing on her lingerie and then hops into a bubble bath has upwards of 2.3 million views. (Guys dig it and, no surprise, women are largely absent from that fan club.) The researchers have a few pieces of advice for the creative community, including integrating the TV campaign with other media, seeding the ad broadly, leaving a clear brand impression and producing an engaging spot. And perhaps most important, don’t hold your breath.
—Posted by T.L. Stanley