In the battle between video experts and the word viral, the video experts won, at least in the case made at the SXSW session Viral Is A Dirty Word: Strategic Video Success.

The session wasn't about bashing the idea of things "going viral." It was about the word. The word viral derails conversations and thus the word should be banned (it's long been banned in my world). Part of the problem is that people think viral means free in the marketing space, which of course isn't the case. They assume that just because a video is good it will catch on (not true).

With each "Double Rainbow" type video, assumptions are made that it must be easy to generate that many views. That's also not true and imagine if a logo appeared in the "Double Rainbow" video. It wouldn't have been viewed and passed along like it was. Yes, my friends, viral is a dirty word.

So what word or words do we use instead? The panelists suggested a video that's "good" and "relevant to my audience." That's a good place to start but a successful video goes beyond that. It starts with avoiding goals based on video views. The next time someone asks you to create a video that will get 10 million views remember that fewer than 0.4 percent of of YouTube videos reach even 100,000 views.

When it comes to successful videos, the key is science. Achieving that takes a five step antiviral program as shared by panelists Jeremy Sanchez of Global Strategies and Robert John Davis of  

It could be considered one of the worst beers that somehow still remains palatable but, like it or not, Old Milwaukee is a brand that goes beyond taste and taps into the souls of many Midwesterners.

“This is one of the quintessential old school American adjunct brews. It isn't great, but it is definitely drinkable.”

– FlannelAvenger, beeradvocate.com

“All that subliminal programming when I was a kid really paid off. OM is my favorite American Lager. Just a hint of hops, clean mouthfeel, goes down easy. This is a true American staple.”

– vikingstout, beeradvocate.com

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone without a favorite beer that gives them that warm fuzzy feeling inside, and tapping into that innate longing for comfort is a stroke of pure genius. Little would Old Milwaukee (seemingly) know that this insight would come not from an agency, but from a comedian who’s notorious for his faux-vertising antics on SNL.

Ferrell's decision to film and distribute the ads in Davenport is a solid tribute to the city who loves some "Old Mud." His subsequent commercials filmed in Terre Haute also offer a bit of a nod to the heartland of American culture. These free-of-charge, low-budget videos were all the idea and production of Ferrell himself, and even though Old Milwaukee is missing an opportunity by not having a YouTube channel, they're still creating quite a bit of buzz through the classic form of "You've gotta see this, it's hilarious," sharing. (Thanks @sarahleighbrich!)

Censorship has always been a hot topic. What is okay to say? What isn’t? And what about that all too familiar black box, blurred lips or middle finger? By the standards of some networks, you’d think primetime were more like Reading Rainbow while others have embraced the social acceptance of cursing and sexuality. Regardless of this change in thought, one entity remains shrouded in secrecy. But no longer!

It's a Cat on a Mission.

Meet Carlton, the new feline spokesperson for the vagina and all that is awesome (vaginal) about it. Launched only two weeks ago, Carlton’s PSA has racked up over 300,000 views on Youtube and has created some buzz on its content submission page where viewers are encouraged to submit videos of what they think is “vaginal.”

The brand behind the campaign, Summer's Eve, is not one without folly, having released an ad last summer in Women's Day that stunned consumers and the ad community with the idea that the first step to getting a raise is to be clean "down there." Enlisting the help of The Richards Group out of Dallas for damage control was a smart move, and even more proof that companies who make a misstep would do better to admit their mistake and rebound with a little humor to make light of the situation than try to sweep it under the rug.

Taking a...

Granted, it doesn't take much prompting to get the kid in me to blog about something Star Wars related, but it's the content manager in me who experienced love at first sight with this video promoting the relaunch of the Star Tours attraction at the Disney theme parks.

Notice that while the video's primary objective is to promote the grand re-opening of a theme park ride, they never actually show us the ride. Instead, they've created humorous, original content featuring a story line that juxtaposes Darth Vader against the wonder and majesty of a Disney theme park. The video achieves its goal of announcing the re-opening of Star Tours, while also reinforcing the core message that everyone—even dark Sith lords—is free to be a kid again at a Disney theme park.

I'd like to nominate this video for Best Use of a Star Wars Character in Marketing since TomTom GPS.

Thanks for spotting this one, Joey!

Brand Flakes points to this fun video produced by the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It seems the city took it personally when they landed at Number 10 on Newsweek's list of America's Dying Cities.

According to tnooz:
Outraged at the city’s inclusion in the list, a group of residents, business groups and tourism bosses got together to see what they could do to retaliate … The [video] was produced using $40,000 worth of donations from 29 local sponsors including the city’s Grand Plaza Hotel, a helicopter company, the university, a hospital and, err, Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

The video has been view more than 1.6 million times since it was uploaded to YouTube on May 26, 2011, so I think it's safe to say they got the message out.

This is such a great idea and I would love to see it adapted for tourism and destination marketing. CVB's and tourism councils, may I have your attention? What song embodies your city and how could residents take to the streets to bring that song (and their city) to life?