The Viral Impact of YouTube on Culture & Business

Social Causes and Branding

Thankfully, YouTube features some videos that leave nonsense aside and transmit a message of social good. A group of Canadian musicians (Young Artists For Haiti) created a very well received song titled Wavin’ Flag in support of raising funds for fix the damage done by Haiti’s devastating earthquake. This is an example of how sincerity and social justice do not go unnoticed on YouTube.

Although this video cannot compete with the views some of the other videos have obtained, it nevertheless proves that YouTube can be an important avenue for social causes that are important to society. The song by Young Artists For Haiti also creates a level of trust that is backed by the charity’s brand.

Cultures are easily humbled by tragic events and YouTube provides a way for a well branded organization to effectively appeal for help. This idea of branding is where YouTube can benefit both social causes and businesses the most.

Corporate

On the corporate side, Pepsi has always been extremely effective at branding their product. YouTube gives them an even stronger advantage and a new channel to deliver their message. Using humor Pepsi is able to advertise for free to tens of millions of people worldwide.

Pepsi Monk Ad:

Michael Jackson’s Pepsi Generation Ad:

From the time Google purchased YouTube for 1.65 Billion dollars in 2006, viewership has risen from over 100 million views per day to a whopping 2 Billion views per day. The addition of InVideo Ads and nonprofit channels make YouTube one of the best ways to be heard or seen by the world. The addition of 720p HD significantly increased the quality to which YouTube videos are watched.

YouTube will continue to expand in all areas including humor, branding, and definitely nonsense. Social cause videos also seem to be a growing trend, and these “feel good” stories are unlikely to drop in number. This very heartwarming story of a homeless man with an outstanding radio voice shows how individuals can contribute directly to a certain level of social justice and how the virtual community can share feelings of compassion.

This Indonesian baby was smoking 40 cigarettes a day, until his infamy which was helped partially by YouTube, forced the embarrassed Indonesian government to divert his cigarette addiction to playing:

YouTube attracts billions of viewers for a variety of reasons and this immense viewership is only going to increase in the future. The viral effects that videos have upon culture are duly noted by businesses and nonprofit organizations alike. A smart organization in the future will be required to have a very savvy approach toward YouTube in their attempts to market their ideas and their products competitively.

Now I would like to invite you to watch this awesome video of a gorilla walking like a man: