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Athlete Virals and The OMG Effect

Sport

Hands up if you have ever heard a colleague or a brand state categorically that ‘we must produce a viral’?

Viral videos are unquestionably something of the Holy Grail when it comes to tapping into the public’s consciousness, shaking people by the scruff of the neck and screaming ‘look how cool we are!’, but videos are not made viral in the editing process.Instead, for videos to go viral there needs to be a strategic combination of factors, none more important than the ‘wow factor’, or in today’s terminology ‘The OMG Effect’. Timeliness and relevance are also potent ingredients in this mix and can make viral videos a powerful PR tool for sports personalities and the brands that are associated with them.

The Roger Federer ‘Is it real or fake?’ William Tell clip from just a few months ago is a case in point. The online buzz surrounding that clip centred upon the authenticity of what the YouTube viewers were seeing. Did R. Fed really run the risk of smashing a tennis ball into one of the crew’s faces for fun just to generate a bit of friendly banter in the filming downtime? Cynics would say absolutely not; it was a carefully orchestrated stunt, possibly involving some clever camera trickery, to promote the Gillette brand. But therein resides its genius. It got people talking about the clip, about the brand, about the stunt, and that attracts column inches. It is the perfect way of turning a marketing activity (advertising) into a genuine PR campaign.

Watch the Roger Federer - Gillette Ad Clip on You Tube

The arrival of Kevin Pietersen’s conveniently caught-on-camera batting escapades yesterday, so perfectly timed to coincide with this week’s Ashes, follows the same approach. Apparently filmed in downtime from sponsor Brylcreem’s marketing activities, Pietersen proceeds to defy belief by smashing cricket balls left, right and even into someone’s house - all while blindfolded. Cue “The OMG Effect” and the resultant on and offline media coverage. Is it real? Is it fake? Does it matter? Not in the slightest. The sponsor’s name is mentioned in most of the articles just days before one of cricket’s most important events of the year, so it’s certainly a triumph for Brylcreem.

Watch the Kevin Pietersen - Brylcreem Clip on You Tube

The OMG Effect is far from a new concept. Ronaldinho took part in the Nike/Crossbar clip in 2006, while almost a year ago David James enjoyed a bit of blindfolded goalkeeping for an Eon promotion. What is required, though, is a careful balance of plausibility and cynicism to make it truly effective, while being attached to a timely and relevant event. Only then will the online 'buzz' make it go viral.

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