the blog

Yes, we know that Pants on the Ground, the catchy tune by “General” Larry Platt’s, was first seen on Fox’s American Idol, but it was social media that rocketed him to stardom.

Since the January 13th performance, Mr. Platt’s song has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube, been parodied on late night television (Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young singing Pants on the ground is one of the best!) and was used by Brett Favre to get his Vikings going before their game with Dallas.

As fun as the song is, it is more than just that. Pants on the Ground is the most recent example of how viral marketing works (such great oldies as Chad Vader after the dentist and Chocolate Rain should never be forgotten though). Viral marketing relies on the consumer to pass on the message. Here is the equation:
1. Create something that no one has seen before that is either funny or unbelievable (in this case funny)
2. Provide people with a way to share it with their friends (in this case YouTube)
3. Watch the number of viewers grow as the video catches on and becomes Viral (over 1 million viewers)
4. Watch as main stream media picks it up and runs with it (late night TV, Brett Favre, etc.)
5. Become overnight success from writing a song called Pants on the Ground!

So, the next time you pitch a seemingly crazy viral idea to a client, remind them of “General” Larry Platt and his overnight viral success. And clients, the next time you hear a ridiculous idea from your advertising agency, think about how many videos you have passed on to friends and imagine that that video was about your company or product. Hard to ignore the strength of viral when an advertising agency in Dallas, Texas is writing about a 60 year old man singing a song with the word pants in the title – case and point…