Viral Videos in perspective

I'll admit I've been enjoying following the Sons of Maxwell song and crusade against United Airlines pathetically bad customer service. This is a story - and one would like to hope a big exception, but somehow I doubt it - about an experience gone terribly awry, and the great ability of a consumer to create an enormous amount of buzz in their own defense, using the power of the internet to communicate and engage.

In that light, I'm fresh back from holidays and have been reading "The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing" by Emanuel Rosen. The message is powerful.

Both of those happenings led me to start thinking about viral videos, how they work, and what they are. Maybe this song and video are "anti-buzz" against United Airlines. In any event, it is amusing and ever so telling about their overall way of doing business. It also shows the power of a consumer with a good story in the internet age.

Back to Sons of Maxwell and United Airlines ... for some background, you might want to read more from Dave Carroll's own story on his own blog, and then you should watch and listen to the song on YouTube.


By the way - the views on that video are on fire. They have had more than 2.7 million views in less than a week. The majority of the comments on the vlog clearly feel their pain, and express anger and frustration at United and other airlines.

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