by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) The social web, as we’ve learned from countless pictures of kittens, loves all things heart-warming and shares them aplenty, but woe betide any dishonesty. An example of this is the First Kiss video on YouTube, billed as 20 strangers sharing a kiss for the first time, which got the web all a buzz a few weeks ago.
Some influencers and commentators constantly search for the next piece of news and information that they will be the first, or among the first, to share; the downside is that we get bombarded with stuff competing for our precious attention. The first time First Kiss appeared, it was just another link on the web, blending in with every other distraction.
Others follow and share content because it reaches them through trusted sources or friends closely linked to shared interests, and these infinitely connected online and offline networks have ensured that we group ourselves into nearly infinite niches. Most of the highly influential individuals in these networks are trusted because they are authentic and share honest opinions, not just the messages that brands want them to share —unless the message resonates with them.
Thus, the difference between the many times that the First Kiss link appeared on my time line, and the first time I actually opened it, was the person who shared it.
The big reveal
Two days after First Kiss was released, TIME, among others, revealed that it was actually a clothing ad by WrenStudio. The 20 ‘strangers’ in the video? Actors,musicians and models who start out with only some of the awkwardness of people meeting for the first time that an average Joe or Jill would experience. This helped to draw us in and inadvertently make us watch a three-minute ad which has—not without much criticism— gone viral (the video, according to TIME, had more than 24 million views when the magazine wrote about it and, at the time of editing, has over 75 million views).
When criticism can evangelise
Within a day of the video being uploaded, Mashable reported that it was a collaboration between Wren Studio and the filmmaker, Tatia Pilieva, for advertising Wren Studio’s Fall2014 collection.The secret was out, and people shared their disappointment at the idea of a brand pulling their heartstrings to spread a message about a brand through content that resonates with them.
This specific post was shared 18 000 times from Mashable alone and this time, unlike most of the other posts, it linked back to the brand and viewers had a clearer idea of what they were watching. There was also a tweet from Wren Studio on 11 March specifically connected the film to the brand.
Many such posts increased the visibility of the fashion brand and spread its message to potential customers, and the YouTube video now has over 75 million viewers.
The parody
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then parody should rank up there with being celebrated for creating a message that the world thinks is worth spreading. Parodies are built upon the assumption that people are familiar with the original item of content being parodied, or create that familiarity.
With respect to First Kiss, the social web reacted almost immediately and many parodies made the rounds, from cute to NSFW (not safe for work):
There’s this one by VICE magazine in which it got 20 strangers who are not actors, musicians and models to kiss. As you would expect, VICE referred to the original film, and it’s highly possible that some of their now 640 000 viewers only found out about the original one only after seeing the parody from VICE.
There’s also First Sniff (dogs asked to kiss for the first time),which has been watched over 1.5 million times from 12 March and counting.
With in two days of the first few posts going live, the South African-based flashmob community called Jozi Flash had put up a Facebook event inviting people to a similar—real life—experiment.
According to the Facebook event, people are invited to meet at a busy shopping centre north of Johannesburg, with details to be disclosed on 12 April [if you’re thinking of participating, this New York Times article has good advice on how to practise safe kissing — ed-at-large].
Influencer engagement in the spotlight
The social web has created the misconception that going viral should be the ultimate goal of most campaigns, and if it happens, everyone celebrates. Wren Studio created great content that people wanted to share, either because they thought it was worth showing their friends and/or because they wanted to reveal its good points or flaws through critiquing the campaign. But awareness won’t necessarily translate into sales, as the brand may have garnered a negative reputation or the wrong niche markets have been reached.
Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) is the founding MD of WordStart (www.wordstart.co.za). Apart from being a kiteboarding and sandboarding adventurer, Mongezi connects companies and brands with measurable word-of-mouth. He contributes the monthly “The Word” column on word-of-mouth marketing and social media strategy to MarkLives.
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