What does it take for a bottled water brand’s Web video to become the Internet sensation du jour? Seemingly, not all that much. Smartwater’s“Jennifer Aniston Sex Tape” ranks a distant #1 on Advertising Age’s Viral Video Chart, at more than 7.5 million views. It contains no sexuality and isn’t even all that funny. But it does a brilliant job playing with the baser instincts of Internet users – and, in so doing, demonstrating…a) that there is a formula for viral success
b) that it’s really is as simple as you had always feared
The promise of celebrity skin + awkward humor + digital manipulation + a catchy title = gazillions of views
Grabbing attention is one thing, but will the views translate into sales? If the advertiser were a bank, a phone company, even an electronic gadget, the answer would likely be “no”. But this is an ad for bottled water, a relatively inexpensive product category where choices are often made on impulse. Bottled water is also a category where brand reallydoes matter a great deal – because there’s little to be had in the way of tangible benefits, and therefor little is expected. For SmartWater, the name of the game is to be top-of mind at point of purchase. To that end, “Jennifer Aniston Sex Tape” will likely deliver.
Says the video is private.
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