The traditional marketing model has rapidly evolved and companies are turning to social media and YouTube to promote their products and advance brand recognition. Now with the shift into digital marketing, the question on everyone’s mind is, “How can I create a viral video?” Unfortunately, there are no rules that ensure a video will connect with the masses. Case in point, the Woof Washer 360.
Earlier this year, Concepts TV Productions produced a short-form commercial for the Woof Washer 360. Branded as “360 degrees of clean,” the Woof Washer 360 is an innovative circular hose attachment that provides a unique new way to wash dogs. Concepts TV is a New Jersey-based production company that has produced thousands of both long- and short-form commercials. “In my 35 years experience producing TV commercial hits, I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” says Collette Liantonio, president and creative director at Concepts TV. “It was incredible; I couldn’t believe how quickly the video went viral!”
The concept for the Woof Washer 360 came from humble beginnings. Inventor Ryan Diez first introduced the notion of a circular dog-washing accessory years ago when he constructed a crude prototype for a school science project. After the TV commercial began airing, the video was uploaded onto the product’s Facebook page. However, there was one clear distinction that set the Woof Washer 360 spot apart from other viral videos of years past. It wasn’t the final cut of the two-minute commercial that had been uploaded to the Web, but rather the soundless b-roll, some of which had been left on the cutting room floor months before. Furthermore, there was no offer or call-to-action included at the end of the video, just a brief mention of the Woof Washer 360 website.
A Viral Sensation
The Woof Washer 360 video had all the makings of Internet gold. The product is unique and intriguing; the concept is humorous in nature and slightly bizarre. (At the end of the day, how many alternative ways are there to wash a dog?!) Nevertheless, the citizens of cyberspace latched on almost immediately. The viral trail took off from Czechoslovakia and continued on into the United Kingdom, where the story was picked up by The Globe and Mail magazine. Ironically, it wasn’t until the video had made its way around the world that it eventually caught on in the United States. Two weeks later, that same video had blown up on the Internet, accruing over 800,000 hits to the product’s website, more than $200,000 in sales, and 100 million Facebook shares. The spot was viewed in more than 200 countries worldwide, plus the product was featured in The Huffington Post, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. With the massive social media following and gigantic success of the campaign as a whole, the Woof Washer 360 spot had officially become a viral sensation.
