If you are a bit active on social media you have probably watched the new John Lewis’ “Monty the penguin” video. The British department store has created this two minutes ad for the upcoming Christmas holidays and its success has been immediate. The number of views and shares was already incredible after the first 24 hours since it was uploaded: 7 million views and more than 200.000 shares. Thus, it was not surprising when it reached about 14.9 million views after the first seven days. The ad tells the very cute story of a young boy and the relationship he has with his best friend Monty, a pet penguin. In the very unlikely case you haven’t meet Monty yet, this is the famous video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccscUFY860

This Christmas-centric campaign has clearly gone viral and the digital success has noticeably led John Lewis retail stores to actual revenues: the Monty plush toys sold out in few hours. What did ensure this amazing popularity to the video? What can people learn from John Lewis on how to create a viral video? Even though the conditions making it possible for a content to become viral are very variable and often unpredictable, Monty can give digital marketers some important tips. The following are the main features that can help a video to be easily shareable:

Being reasonably short
The video lasts almost 2 minutes. The point is that every video should be short enough to keep the interest and the attention of the Vine videos generation. Given this, it’s clear that the very first 30 seconds of a video play a crucial role: managing to be interesting and also a bit mysterious is fundamental to make people stay glued to the screen.

Sharing a cheerful content
What can be more upbeat than the inspiring story of a little boy helping his penguin friend to find true love for Christmas? It’s proven that positive emotions make it more likely for a video to be spontaneously and passionately shared by digital users. Thus, touch the heart of the audience and they will surely want to share the feeling with their friends.

Being timely
Halloween has just passed and people start to feel the Christmas atmosphere in the air: Monty has been able to perfectly harness the Christmas magic power. Generally speaking, except for the obvious season-related occasions, a good video should always be connected to current events or popular trends.

Linking the online and offline strategies
John Lewis department stores have been filled up of penguin toys and other kinds of related merchandise, enabling the phenomenon to spread even more, also through non digital channels. A full consistency between online and offline strategy is essential for a campaign to be effective and to obtain the desired returns on marketing investment.

Using social media
A Twitter account for Monty has been crafted just for the occasion. Through this channel the penguin shares additional information, updates and other details regarding the story told in the video. Using various social media as a support for a campaign helps increasing the video resonance and interacting with followers is very useful in creating a stronger engagement. As always, a well-planned digital advertising campaign involves the use of proper hashtags and the creation of an ad-hoc one, as it is #MontyThePenguin in this case.

Sources:
http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2380274/monty-the-penguin-breaks-records-wins-christmas
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2014/08/07/6-qualities-to-make-your-videos-go-viral/