Colorado Girls Get Viral
By Ben Brown, New Media Adviser of Social Cloudcast 
Going “viral” with a video is usually a positive thing. That is unless you are the one in the video getting hit with a foreign object. A viral video is the velocity in which it is spread and how. Some businesses are taking advantages of using videos in their marketing. Of those, many are making it their intention for their video creations to become viral.
In the case of the Colorado Girls video, going viral was a very good thing for the three graduates. Two of them recent film graduates and the other, theater. Lauren Brady, Ian Rice, & Josh Greenwood came together in the creation of this video, a parody of “California Gurls” by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dog. After the first lyrics written, “Colorado girls know how to spell girls” and about a week later it was online.
The viral quality of this video was seen from the number of views, comments, email forwards, and the vast sharing on Facebook. This video wasn’t tied to any specific company, advertising campaign, or major market broadcast. The video did makes its way to CBS 4 Colorado & NBC News 5 Southern Colorado, who interviewed Ian & Lauren. The both piece broadcast their interview with Lauren & Ian, and cut in clips from their video.
Video in general is a great way to communicate a message. In the Colorado Girls video it was entertaining and an overall positive depiction of the pride for the state. Businesses are also trying to latch on to this concept as well. Just creating a video is an effective way to show case a produce or service. If the video has a viral quality, it can lead to additional exposure that touches viewership that may not have originally been reached.
Some viral videos were created purely by accident. Essentially someone decided to turn the camera on at the right time and to share it with the masses. If you are creating a video for a specific purpose, you should not rely on luck. The most important part comes in planning.
Minnesota Gurls was the most popular parody video of the California Gurls, song prior to the creation of Colorado Girls. The creators and producers of Colorado Girls took a similar approach, but planned in detail to make their video unique. The time planning went into lyrics, locations, camera angels, costuming, color scheme, and the overall message. All of these basic elements are what made this video successful and the best parody to date of the California Gurls original.
Planning is the first key element in creating any video. Knowing the goal and audience you are trying to reach must come first. The Colorado Girls video is one good example for businesses in creating their own viral videos. Businesses should be looking at videos in general and consider a viral approach. The next step is finding the right system to distribute their content. It is also important to keep in mind that videos do not have to be about the business, a product or service. Online advertising next to a viral video can also be an option.
Link to Colorado Girls Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYGpelWYFx0
Link to NBC 5 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onYQThcpPkQ
Link to CBS 4 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXNbYWAd4uQ
