When Eduard Khil emerged from the internet serenading the world with his Oscar worthy Trolololol performance, he instantly became the center of a meme. Gaining spots on The Colbert Report and Jimmy Kimmel Live, his solo began to hit mainstream. Whenever Eduard caught wind of his recent popularity is unimportant because he welcomed it with open arms, seen here. This is when the credits roll, the curtains fall and Eduard watches his 15 minutes of social media fame come and go. But this did not happen.
Eduard ended up jumping at the opportunity. Within a few days he began a social media initiative posting this video for his supporters. Now, whether or not this actually becomes a hit is irrelevant to this post. Eduard is a successful example of what many companies are implicating or should start doing: listening, reacting and using an open window to develop something bigger.
These are the crucial tools to a successful social media campaign. Communities thrive around companies like Ford and Zappos because they listen and respond within minutes, hours or at the longest a couple days. As businesses that are new to social media begin to hire social media teams and agencies, efficient communication and transparency are both critical to a growing campaign. Even though many companies notice how important social media is, seeing a 75 year old man see and act on it demonstrates a great example to follow.
Another recent example is in the growing popularity of Chatroulette. A few companies have dipped their toe in the water, testing marketing possibilities but only one stands out, Ode to Merton. Based off of the original viral video, Ode to Merton, Ben Folds ended up taking it to another level. During a live concert, Ben Folds decided to make his own Ode to Ode to Merton. Within 2 days of posting, the video garnered almost 700,000 views, with the possibility of more videos and many, many, many more views to come. I am not one to compliment someone for copying, but what I do admire is that he jumped almost immediately at the opportunity to implicate this during his concerts. Personally I hope someday the original man behind Ode to Merton and Ben Folds will pair up, but I fear the internet may implode on itself unable to handle that amount of awesomeness.
I have to say that it is unfair to compare a social media stunt by Ben Folds or the star of a growing meme to a company just getting into social media. Ben and Eduard have buzz, popularity and an international fan base already working in their favor. But the base of this article is the opportunity. Especially now, it is important for companies to open up and start diving into social media instead of slowly waltzing in. There are possibilities developing everywhere and as this growing sector of marketing develops it’s better to learn with it, than not learn at all.
