The Psychology Behind Viral Marketing Videos: What Makes Them Spread Like Wildfire

In 2012, Dollar Shave Club launched with a simple but bold YouTube video featuring the company‘s founder making audacious claims about their razors with dry humor. The video is low-budget but highly entertaining. It racked up 12,000 orders in the first 48 hours and over 25 million views to date. Dollar Shave Club sold to Unilever for $1 billion just four years later.

The holy grail for any marketer is to create a viral video – a piece of content that spreads rapidly through social sharing, reaches millions of people, and achieves legendary status in the annals of marketing. But with over 500 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, it‘s increasingly difficult to stand out and capture attention, let alone convince people to share with others.

So what‘s the secret formula? While there‘s no surefire recipe, understanding the psychology behind why certain marketing videos take off can greatly improve your odds of success. In this post, we‘ll dive into the science behind virality, analyze the emotions and social motivations that drive sharing, break down the storytelling tactics used by top viral videos, and much more. Let‘s cut to the chase.

The Science of Virality

Researchers have been fascinated by viral videos for years, trying to deconstruct their DNA. In a study analyzing thousands of videos across social media, Dr. Karen Nelson-Field found four key drivers of sharing:

Emotional response – content that evokes a strong positive or negative emotion
Social motivation – taps into fundamental human desires to build social bonds and express identity
Positive experience – leaves the viewer with a positive feeling
Surprise ending – delivers an unexpected twist or punchline

Jonah Berger, author of the bestselling book Contagious, identified six key factors behind viral content summarized in the acronym STEPPS:

Social currency – makes the sharer look smart, cool, or "in the know"
Triggers – associations with common thoughts, cues or experiences
Emotion – evokes high arousal emotions like anger, anxiety, inspiration
Practical value – provides useful information
Public visibility – becomes a cultural conversation piece
Stories – uses memorable narratives to convey the message

Emotional Contagion and Social Bonding

Emotion is perhaps the biggest driver of virality. Research shows that content sparking high arousal emotions, both positive (awe, excitement, humor) and negative (anger, anxiety), gets shared more than content evoking low arousal or deactivating emotions (sadness).

This is due to emotional contagion – the phenomenon where people "catch" the emotions of others. Emotional contagion is part of what makes videos inherently shareable – viewers know on a gut level that if a video moved them, it will likely move their friends too, so they hit the share button.

But people don‘t just share random emotional content – there needs to be a social motive. Fundamentally, humans are social creatures with deep desires to form social bonds, express identity, grow status/reputation, and gain a sense of belonging.

Viral videos tap into these desires by providing "social currency" – information that makes the sharer look good and strengthens social bonds. For example, sharing a funny video with a friend is a way of saying "we have a similar sense of humor." Sharing an emotional video about a social issue signals your values to your social circle.

Capturing Attention in an Oversaturated Media Landscape

In today‘s attention economy, the biggest challenge is simply getting noticed. The average attention span is down to eight seconds. If your video doesn‘t capture interest immediately, viewers will scroll on by.

Successful viral videos use a variety of techniques to hook the viewer in the first few seconds:

A compelling human face: Brain scan studies show that we can‘t help but look at faces, especially emotional ones. That‘s why many viral video thumbnails feature close-ups of expressive faces.
An intriguing mystery: Posing a question or setting up a mystery exploits the human desire for closure – we want to keep watching to find out the answer. E.g. BuzzFeed‘s "Puppyhood" video starts with "Every single day, people are born into this world as adorable puppies. This is the story of one of them…"
Stunning visuals: Our brains process visuals 60,000x faster than text. Captivating cinematography and special effects create immediate sensory impact, as seen in top travel/adventure videos.
Recognizable talent: Featuring a celebrity (even a minor one) leverages our fascination with fame and makes us more likely to keep watching to see what they do.
Piggybacking on a news event: Inserting your brand into an already trending conversation (newsjacking) aligns interest with timeliness.

Once they have your attention, great viral videos hold it by taking you on an emotional rollercoaster with mounting tension, surprise twists, and a satisfying resolution. Smart editing maximizes emotional impact – notice how the Dollar Shave Club video frequently cuts to a new angle or silly prop every few seconds.

The Power of Storytelling

Many of the most iconic viral videos are essentially short films with classic storytelling arcs. They introduce relatable characters, present a compelling conflict/quest, escalate the stakes, and deliver an emotionally rewarding ending, all in the span of 1-5 minutes.

Some common viral story arcs:

Underdog triumphs against the odds (Google‘s "Parisian Love")
Hero goes on a quest and returns transformed (Chipotle‘s "Back to the Start")
Protagonist has a powerful dream/goal (Nike‘s "Find Your Greatness")
Character learns an important lesson (Dove‘s "Choose Beautiful")
Ordinary person put in an extraordinary situation (TNT‘s "Dramatic Surprise")

Even if the story is simple, the best viral videos have a clear narrative through line and take the viewer on a journey from beginning to end. Storytelling elements like characters, tension, and surprise tap into our innate need to find meaning and resolution. Great stories make us feel something – and feelings make us want to share.

Practical Utility and How-To Content

Not every viral video has to be an emotional rollercoaster. Some of the most popular videos simply teach the viewer something useful in a clear, engaging way. These videos leverage the power of practical value and "social currency" – sharing them provides value to your social circles and makes you look good.

Influencers and Trend Hijacking

While it‘s possible for a video from a little-known creator to go viral solely on its creative merits, working with influencers and participating in existing viral trends can significantly amplify reach.

Influencers are trusted voices with loyal fan bases. When they share a branded video, it carries an implicit endorsement and immediately reaches an interested audience. With micro-influencers, brands can target very specific niches in an authentic way. The key is finding influencers who are a natural fit for your message.

Trend hijacking, or inserting your brand into an already viral meme or conversation, lets you reach a massive audience with built-in interest. A famous example is Oreo‘s "You Can Still Dunk in the Dark" tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl blackout. By quickly hopping on a viral moment with a clever branded spin, Oreo reached millions and became part of the cultural conversation.

Viral Video Case Studies

Let‘s analyze a few examples of branded videos with enduring viral impact:

Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"

– Appeals to both men and women with self-deprecating humor
– Absurdist, rapid-fire visuals keep you hooked to see what happens next
– Ends with a direct, memorable call-to-action
– Capitalized on buzz with personalized follow-up videos

Always "Like a Girl"

– Taps into anger over gender stereotypes and inspiration of empowerment
– Uses real people, not actors, for authentic emotional responses
– Unexpected twist from negative to positive meaning of "like a girl"
– Powerful social message compels sharing and discussion

Dove "Real Beauty Sketches"

– Built on Dove‘s long-running "Real Beauty" campaign
– Uses a surprising premise to hook you – women described by strangers
– Touching, relatable message that all women are more beautiful than they think
– Focuses on storytelling and emotional journey vs. pushing product

WestJet "Christmas Miracle"

– Spreads joy and wonder with a heartwarming act of corporate giving
– Triggers strong emotions with real-time reactions of surprised passengers
– Inspires faith in humanity, compelling social sharing as "social currency"
– Generates goodwill for WestJet while demonstrating their commitment to customer care

Potential Pitfalls of Viral Videos

While the rewards of a viral video are immense, there are also risks to consider:

Negative backlash – A controversial or insensitive video can trigger outrage (Pepsi‘s Kendall Jenner ad)
Fleeting impact – If not tied to a larger campaign, buzz can fizzle out without long-term benefit
High production costs – Elaborate viral videos often require celebrity talent, heavy VFX, etc.
Lack of control – Once a video spreads, you can‘t control the narrative or memes it generates

This is why it‘s crucial to plan for all potential reactions and have a strategy to leverage viral success into lasting brand lift. Focus on gaining audience insights, building community, and sparking meaningful conversations, not just racking up vanity metrics.

Conclusions and Key Takeaways

Let‘s review the key ingredients of the viral video formula:

Triggers a high arousal emotion – positive or negative
Provides social currency – info that boosts the sharer‘s status and bonds
Hooks attention immediately with faces, mystery, or a trending topic
Keeps you watching with rising tension and a satisfying conclusion
Uses classic storytelling arcs to create a compelling narrative
Delivers practical value and utility the viewer can apply
Leverages influencers and trend hijacking to amplify reach
Builds on an existing brand conversation or campaign

But perhaps the most important takeaway is that viral videos are powerful because they make people feel something and compel them to share that feeling with others. Don‘t focus so much on the tricks and tactics that you lose sight of your video‘s core purpose – to tell an authentic story that moves people.

At their best, viral marketing videos create a shared emotional experience between the brand and the audience. They bring people together and add value to their lives. While viral fame is never guaranteed, if you focus on making people feel and bringing them together, you‘ll be well on your way to success.