The Viral Video Manifesto: Why Everything You Know is Wrong and How to Do What Really Works

The Viral Video Manifesto: Why Everything You Know is Wrong and How to Do What Really Works

by Stephen Voltz, Fritz Grobe
Released November 2012
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 9780071803397

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Book description

Creating the next YouTube blockbuster is easier than you think!

Includes more than 100 QR Codes linking to successful viral videos!

"These guys are the viral experts, and they show you the way in clear, concise language. This is the first recipe for virality that I buy." -- KENT NICHOLS, cocreator of viral phenomenon AskANinja.com

One Saturday morning in 2006, Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe dropped 500 Mentos mints into 100 bottles of Coke in front of a video camera. Their video went viral in a matter of hours, and before they knew it, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and NPR were calling.

Since then, more than 100 million people have watched The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments. Why? Because Voltz and Grobe did everything right. Now, in The Viral Video Manifesto, they explain how you can make a video guaranteed to pack a major punch by applying four core principles:

Be True . . . Don't fake it. Make it real.
Don't Waste My Time . . . Get down to business right away.
Be Unforgettable . . . Show us something we've never seen before.
It's All About Humanity . . . An emotional connection is the key to sharing.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. The Viral Video Manifesto: Why Everything You Know is Wrong and How to Do What Really Works
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. Chapter 1: Everything You Know Is Wrong
  7. Chapter 2: The Most Important Idea in This Book
  8. Rule One: Be True
    1. Chapter 3: Show Me Something Real
    2. Chapter 4: Just Press Record and Do It
    3. Chapter 5: I Am the Camera. Take Me There.
    4. Chapter 6: For Marketers: Be Honest
  9. Rule Two: Don’t Waste My Time
    1. Chapter 7: Nothing but the Money Shots
    2. Chapter 8: Don’t Tell Me a Story
    3. Chapter 9: For Marketers: No #&$@ing Product Shots
  10. Rule Three: Be Unforgettable
    1. Chapter 10: Do Something Different
    2. Chapter 11: Own It
    3. Chapter 12: Capture a Unique Moment
    4. Chapter 13: For Marketers: Be Bold Enough to Be Unforgettable
  11. Rule Four: Ultimately, It’s All About Humanity
    1. Chapter 14: Give Me the Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
    2. Chapter 15: Show Humanity, Not Perfection
    3. Chapter 16: For Marketers : Let Your Brand Be Human
    4. Your Secret Weapon Music
    5. Final Words Start Your Own Epidemic
  12. Case Studies: The Four Rules in Action
    1. [1] Daft Hands: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
    2. [2] A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square
    3. [3] The Little Girl Giant
    4. [4] Dude Transports 22 Bricks on His Head
    5. [5] The T-Mobile Welcome Back
    6. [6] Lachen in der U-Bahn (Laughing in the Subway)
    7. [7] Time-Lapse Comparison: Skyscrapers, Jigsaw Puzzles, and Noah Kalina
    8. [8] “Torn,” by David Armand and Natalie Imbruglia
    9. [9] KONY 2012
    10. [10] Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
  13. Notes
  14. List of Videos
  15. Acknowledgments
  16. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Viral Video Manifesto: Why Everything You Know is Wrong and How to Do What Really Works
  • Author(s): Stephen Voltz, Fritz Grobe
  • Release date: November 2012
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071803397