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Simply Zesty (@SimplyZesty) / Simply Viral (@simplyviral) scouted this TED (@tedtalks) talk of YouTube (@YouTube) trends manager Kevin Allocca (@shockallocca) speaking at a TEDYouth (@TEDYouth) event on the 3 reasons a video goes viral:

·         Tastemakers: when influential people discover new videos and introduce those videos to their followers

·         Participation: when viewers of a video become motivated enough to produce another version of the video

·         Unexpectedness: when a video contains surprises, especially in a humorous manner.

Allocca says over 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Also see our other blogposts about viral videos:

• "P&G Wins Hearts & Top Marks with Olympic Video Spots"
• "Video: What a Wonderful World"
• "The Art of Hand-Bound Books"
• "McDonald's Behind-the-Scenes Video Goes Viral"
• "Seeding, Not Quality, is Vital to Make Videos Viral"
• "What Makes a Story Popular and Viral?"
• “How ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Reveals the True Meaning of Viral Content”
• “Infographic: Understanding Viral Content Marketing”
• "A Video About a Poster Masks a Bookstore's Promotion"
• "Unlikely Videos Go Viral"
• "LEGO Celebrates 80th Birthday With Animated 'Short' Film"
• "Video: The Viral Benefits of a Satisfied Customer"
• "Video: PSA Uses Whimsy to Communicate Grim Message"

What principles have you identified that contribute to a video going viral? Write your comments below.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you strategize your brand’s social media communication.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Thinkmodo (@thinkmodo) dreamed up a publicity stunt for the movie Chronicle about three teenagers who get superpowers and can fly. The stunt? Create people-shaped motorized kites, video record them flying over New York, and hope the video goes viral. It has. In just four days, the video has more than 5 million views on YouTube.  Discovery (@Discovery_News) explains the technology behind it all. And here’s a CNN report about it.

Also see our previous blogpost, “How ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Reveals the True Meaning of Viral Content.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you get people talking about your brand.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard, especially the Social Media/WOM tab.

Book lover Sean Ohlenkamp (@ohkamp), an associate art director at Lowe Roche (@loweroche), spent 4 nights at independent Canadian bookstore Type Books (@typebooks) shooting this whimsical stop-motion video tribute to books.

The above video was inspired by the one below, which Ohlenkamp and his wife created last year with the books in his home.

Read The Huffington Post (@HuffPostCanada) story in full.

Bookmark and use daily our (@smrsault) SomersaultNOW online dashboard, designed for book lovers.

For SmartBlog on Social Media, Jesse Stanchak (@SBoSM) analyzes the 1965 TV classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and suggests the same reasons for its longevity and continued popularity can be applied to online content that’s intended to go viral:

·         It has an amateur vibe.

·         It has a strong point of view.

·         It tackles a persistent problem.

·         It builds on existing work.

·         It makes its point quickly.

Read this in full.

Also see our previous blogpost, “Infographic: Understanding Viral Content Marketing.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you set your social media marketing strategy.

Infographic by Voltier Digital (@VoltierDigital).

Also see our previous posts about viral marketing: “A Giant Wood Xylophone” and “Messiah and Viral Video.”

What viral marketing can Somersault (@smrsault) help you with?

Religion News Service (@ReligionNewsNow) reminds us that Handel's oratorio Messiah was first performed on this day in 1742. Back then, the Dublin Journal wrote a review (originating social buzz), saying, "Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crouded Audience.”

If you’ll recall last Christmas season, as a way to promote Alphabet Photography, Inc., a flash mob performed the Hallelujah Chorus at Seaway Mall in Welland, ON. The video of that event has now enjoyed more than 32 million views on YouTube.

Remember what elements comprise a successful viral video? What viral video can Somersault help you produce?

By the way, be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard created especially for publishing and marketing professionals.

The NPR program On The Media (@on_the_media) reports that professors at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania have been meticulously studying what kinds of articles make the “most emailed list,” specifically at The New York Times.

They've combed through more than 7,000 stories using computers to check The Times homepage and most emailed list every 15 minutes for months. What they've found is surprising. The list does not look like Google News. It’s not heavy with Justin Bieber or top 10 Victoria’s Secret models or “Your air conditioner is killing you.” Instead, according to Professor Katherine Milkman, what gets most shared is what most inspires awe.

As publishers and authors, are you looking for manuscripts that “inspire awe”? Would what motivates people to forward emails also prompt them to buy books?

Read & hear this interview in full.