Hitting your target audience... with a snap!

An edited version of this blog post was first published on Mumbrella.

One of this week’s viral sensations on YouTube is a science fiction-themed ad for the Central Institute of Technology (CIT) in Perth. The skit-style video commercial, titled “It’s A Snap”, features CIT grads-turned-YouTube stars Henry & Aaron, who magically jump from one CIT department to the next with a snap of Aaron’s fingers. The comedy takes a distinctly darker turn when Aaron’s teleporting skills start going horribly wrong -- with gruesome results.

This video holds a couple of lessons for marketers. First of all, it’s a great example of one of the newest rules of the web marketing game: “think popular, not premium.” When it comes to celeb endorsements, don’t just think pro athletes or movie stars -- follow your audience. Comedy duo Henry & Aaron are celebrities on YouTube, and they come with their own devoted following and credibility among their fans. Odds are they’ve got a pretty good following among CIT’s target audience of teenagers considering a technical college education.

We’ve seen this strategy of piggybacking on YouTube stars pay off in Australia before. Sydney-based shoe start-up Shoes of Prey worked with popular “hauler” Juicystar07 on YouTube - 18-year old beauty guru Blair Fowler - to create a shoe giveaway. Blair promoted the shoes in her video and Shoes of Prey got one of their best weeks of orders. Last year, Lonely Planet worked with Australia’s most successful YouTuber, Sydneysider Natalie Tran, whose videos have been viewed more than 400 million times. Natalie’s short travel videos from Miami to the Maldives, Buenos Aires to Egypt, helped to connect Lonely Planet with her many online fans.

Secondly, let’s take a look at the content of the video itself. It may stray into gory territory that’s traditionally scared marketers off, but it’s earned rave reviews--tech news site Gizmodo has called it the "Best. Technical College Ad. Ever"--and it’s gotten more than 1.4 million views online. Head of Marketing at CIT Kenley Gordon sums it up nicely in the press release, saying that even though the ad isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, you can’t argue with its popularity: “The youth market is what Henry and Aaron know and judging from the hits, they nailed it.” What’s interesting is that the gross-out ending delivers the shock value that’s perhaps helping this go viral, but it doesn’t interfere at all with the key messages of CIT.

The barriers to entry have disappeared and the next star to shoot to global popularity on the web can come from anywhere. It’s worth considering how your brand might hitch a ride. One thing is for sure: going popular helped CIT reach its target audience...with a snap.

Posted by Karen Stocks, Head of YouTube & Display, Google Australia