The Saddest Fist Bump: How a Viral Video Just Became a Virus

Last night, very patheticly, I lay in my bed at 1:15 in the morning contemplating the pros and cons of this whole Agency.com debacle, now that the debate has softened, bloggers have sent out their thank you cards, and have slowly began to pack up and move on....

But there I was, still struggling with my own agency.com demons.  I could feel it coming.  It was the great souring of my opinion of the fist-bumping band of virulent marketers.  I have argued repeatedly that agency.com wins and have already won because of the buzz they gained, and the balls they showed. 

But last night, I made this realization:  Great viral marketing isn't nearly as much about creating the buzz as it is what you do with it.  100,000 views on YouTube doesn't mean shit if there's no point, or nowhere else for the viewer to go.

Agency.com started to get it right.  They were mocked for rolling big, so they joined in on the yucks by starting the whenwerollwerollbig blog.  It was a promising beginning that shamefully death spiraled into it's current role as merely a link aggregator.  They did the job any blog search engine could easily do.

They had the opportunity to bring us all in further.  We could have gotten to know them better, heard their words, and started a conversation with them.  They could have shown that they had real balls, which means to answer your critics.  Ultimately, when they could have taken the platform that they smartly created for themselves, they chose to wuss out, and not take it further, to where it counts.

So, what is Subway to think?  They have proven that they can make a video go viral, but they didn't prove that they understood the megaphone they gave themselves.  They sprinted in the beginning, and collapsed before the finish. 

So, there you go.  I now recant my previous statements in support of Team Fist Bump.  All they did is prove what they couldn't do.  But, at least I'm better for it.

Comments

[David Armano]

Amen my good man. We are all better for it.

[MarcusBrown]

It's wierd, but the whole subway this is justing hitting Europe. As you guys put the thing to bed, we're just waking up to it. I think everthing has been said.

[steven e. streight aka vaspers the grate, on the edge of evening]

Agency dot com is full of liars and deceptive practices.

They are misusing CK's post, and they are posting Marcus Brown Pd's video that is mocking them, trying to make it look like he is on their side.

Such grinding mediocrity is a disgrace to the young Vlogosphere. Like a shitty episode of the Apprentice.

[Paul McEnany]

Marcus - great video!

Steven - They just teetered out, I guess. They were obviously listening to the blogosphere, but didn't do anything productive with it. what a waste.

[steven e. streight aka vaspers the grate, on the edge of evening]

I hate to be harsh (heh) but the reason why I attack such things is because I don't want my current or future clients to say, "Give us some of that".

I mean, spontaneous mediocrity is one thing, but enforced or delegated schmutzoli is an entirely diffident matter, no matter how you slice your lamb fruit.

Thanks for dropping a comment into my precarious, always poised to explode into infinitum blog.

[Paul McEnany]

no matter how you slice your lamb fruit?

I like it. I'm using it! :)

[Mack Collier]

"I hate to be harsh (heh) but the reason why I attack such things is because I don't want my current or future clients to say, "Give us some of that"."

I think that cat is already out of the bag. When CBS Nightly News is running a feature on the 'phenomenon of the viral video', then it is only a matter of seconds before companies are going to start adding 'oh yeah, and make it go viral!' to the list of objectives.

[steven e. streight aka vaspers the grate, on the edge of evening]

Mack: you have deftly (is that still a word?) summed up the whole potato.

Very good remark, my friend.

I am still formulating my pathetic little treatise on Why We Fight Online, why blogocombat and web debate are so vital, there are many good reasons to engage in critique.

Also: I love flamers, the intelligent hard to answer kind especially.

The fastest way to get smart and dedicated is to be attacked as harshly as possible. It's how we grow and gain confidence and insight.

So, I figure that when I harsh some idea, I'm doing it a favor. At least, that's how I am able to sleep at night, being my grouchy self.

;^)

[steven e. streight aka vaspers the grate, on the edge of evening]

Lamb Fruit? I got that from one the all time funniest podcasts in the cosmos:

"Speakers 3: Space" by Kevin Eldon over at Resonance FM Comedy, the Feedburner feed page, all the way at the bottom of the list.

It's about a "spaceman" who crashes on a mysterious planet, by a tree with fruit that tastes a bit like, nay, a lot like: lamb.

I won't spoil it for you, but it is way too funny, too much. Very weird and 50s-ish British humor, like Monty Python, only better.

[Paul McEnany]

I'm on it. I'll give her a spin!

And, you guys are right. The "gimme some of that" or just as well known as, "let's throw money at the problem" type attitudes have to change.

Agencies need to learn to say no and control expectations, as well as stand up for what is right for the client, no matter the consequence. If these companies can't handle reality, we're fighting a losing battle anyway.