Want Your Videos to Go Viral? The Packard Brothers Show You How

Getting Viral With The Packard Brothers

Getting Viral With The Packard Brothers

On an unassuming Wednesday afternoon in February, two young men stood before a room of PR pros and demonstrated how to use shock, awe, humor and above all, creativity, to help online videos go viral.

Jack and Nick Packard of Packard Brothers, a Milwaukee-area video production agency, shared their knowledge, experience and examples of creating Web videos that get noticed and passed along.

Here are a few takeaways from the presentation:

The most successful videos on the Web tend to be one of these three types:

  • Craft (DIY instruction)
  • Co-op (leveraging existing entities, i.e. making a real-life Angry Birds game)
  • Idiocy (self explanatory)

Successful online videos need:

  • Simple premise
  • Catchy music synched with action
  • Short length (2 min or less is ideal)
  • Relatable format (viewer says “I could have shot that!”)
  • Great editing

Successful videos (for brands) should be built with:
A clear call-to-action (give the viewer something to DO after viewing)

Measuring online videos’ success:

  • YouTube Analytics
  • Google Analytics
  • Unique visitors to the site your video pointed them
  • Offer redemption if the video led to a coupon/promotion

How many views will a successful comedy video have? The Packards believe the number is 100,000. (Real/organic views – not purchased)

Advice to brands/clients/businesses/executives:

  • Be willing to take risks
  • Have patience – success doesn’t come overnight
  • Good creative ideas trump production quality, every time

Everyone hopes their clever videos go viral, but a communications strategy that sounds like “We will produce a viral video …” is absurd and a recipe for disaster. Jack Packard demonstrated that point with perhaps the most salient advice of the presentation by saying, “Calling a video on the web a viral video is like calling anyone with legs a marathoner.”

Videos Will Rule at the Feb. 20 PRSA SEW Meeting

Jack and Nick Packard

These Brothers Know Viral Videos

Have you ever watched an internet video that had gone truly viral and thought to yourself… How do they come up with this stuff? And how did it get so popular? And how can I do that?? Then register to attend the Feb. 20, 2013 PRSA Southeast Wisconsin Chapter’s next luncheon to learn the secrets of creating and marketing viral videos (www.prsawis.org).

Coming up with a great video involves more than just thinking you are funny or have a clever idea. It is all about how it is shot, when it is released, quality of the content, and most importantly: What does the video give the viewer?

As business professionals we see these seemingly simple videos get millions of views and want to translate that into views to our companies. Unfortunately it isn’t that simple. The two biggest reasons why is because, 1. Viewers are smart and can spot a commercial a mile away. 2. Businesses are afraid to take risks and want to follow brand guidelines.

The Packard Brothers are Milwaukee-based writers and video producers that specialize in Viral Marketing. They are the creative force behind numerous viral video hits and have grown an international audience because of their out of the box ideas and ability to connect with their audience.

See their work: https://vimeo.com/57968411

Each of the brothers has their unique expertise, one in Business and Marketing and the other in Internet and Video. They are hosting this special PRSA lunch to talk about Viral Videos, how to make them, how to market them, and how to not look stupid… by looking stupid. High Five! 

Register now, or regret it later! www.prsawis.org