08 September 2006

Viral Friday

Yes, Virginia, it's more viral advertising.

To be effective, virals should be funny, simple and edgy to the point some times of being offensive to the more sensitive members of the community. They grab you, hold you and then deliver the message right at the end. The very best cross over language and cultural barriers.

Think of them as electronic limericks. Healey Willan, noted Canadian church organist, composer and limerick aficionado one said there are three types of limericks:

Limericks for women and children.

Limericks for the clergy.

and

Limericks.

Virals would fall into that third category. Sort of like "There once was a man from Nantucket..." but with pictures.

Here are two more virals that meet the requirements for damned good advertising let alone viral spots.

Car versus animals:
The first is from the famous Ford Sportka series. These depict the sassy little car dealing with some of a car's well-known adversaries, like birds and cats. In the bird version, a feathered bomber swoops close to a Sportka only to be swatted by the car's bonnet in an act of self-defence.

The cat one is another story. See for yourself just how edgy this stuff can get. Cat lovers, beware this thing will insult your sensibilities just a tad.

But you won't forget the spot - and the car name - any more than you could ignore The Far Side's "Cat Fud" panel.



Car versus looney: As you recover from that one, try a classic spot from Volkswagen promoting it's new Polo.

No set-up required.