The given video went viral in 2013, it is an extraordinary video that is said to be preformed live and was indeed real. It was created by the car and truck manufacturer Volvo in older to demonstrate the precision and stability of their dynamic steering. The video posted by Volvo Trucks was uploaded on the 13th of November 2013, till today it has received over 86 million clicks on YouTube. What made this advertisement so interesting to people was its validity. Many did not believe that the preformed stunt could truly be real. There were numerous responses to the video including television programs trying to recreate the stunt or interviews with the stuntman. A further factor which led to its viral status was the person carrying out the stunt. Jean-Claude Van Damme is a well known actor who is mainly famous for his roles in extreme action movies. Therefore, the ‘wow’ factor of the commercial was even bigger. When examining the comments under the video the majority of the comments focus on the stuntman, how people miss his movies and how he one of the greatest actors of all time. This however drifts away from what the advertisement was actually created for which was Volvos precision and stability of dynamic steering. Yet this is also the reason why the video went beyond its original community
Overall there were numerous reaction and remixes to the stunt including an animated video of Chuck Norris carrying out the same split in mid air (see bellow). Furthermore, there were other videos of people pretending to do the stunt between cars, scooters or even wheelbarrows. A further reaction, one of mass media was that a German TV program recreated the stunt in order to test whether it was real or not (see bellow), they came to the conclusion that it was indeed possible to carry out this stunt.
When it comes to videos or ads becoming viral they follow one of two concept models. The concepts are stickiness and spreadability, yet what makes them viral is that they catch peoples attention, in a society were large majorities are participating in the online world, things quickly spread across the world. Returning to the two models companies have to chose from, stickiness is often seen as the ‘safer’ model. It is a model that wants to create a unified consumer experience, that controls the situation so nothing can go wrong (Jenkins, 2013). Furthermore, with this model everyone, including producers, markets and consumers everyone has a fixed role (Jenkins, 2013). The spreadability model is very different to the stickiness method. Spreadable models come with its pros and cons, it gives the consumers great amounts of power. Henry Jenkins states “A spreadable model emphasizes the activity of consumers in shaping the circulation of media content, often expanding potential meanings and opening up brands to unanticipated new markets” (2013). This requires much more attention than a sticky model, the social relation between media producers and consumers must be watched carefully. What can occur with spreadable models is that the initial message of a certain video or ad is misused or changed. This is also the case with the commercial example that has been given above. This to uses a spreadable business model. Even though the initial message of the advertisement was to show the precision of Volvos dynamic steering it has totally been taken out of its original circle and context. It was seen by millions of people many who most likely were not in the truck industry. Yet many were not amazed by the message being promoted but rather by the actor and the stunt being carried out. It got the company great amounts of attention yet not for the entirely right reasons.
Overall there are numerous advantages that come with a spreadablity models for businesses. Through spreadability the range of potential markets may expand, entering different markets comes at a low cost and risk for companies. Furthermore, through spreadability the loyalty of consumers can be intensified through emotional attachment to the brand. A final advantage of this model is that it may expaned and intensify consumer awareness when it comes to new emerging brands or even transform the perception of an existing brand. Therefore, reaffirming its central place in the consumers lives (Jenkins, 2013).
Referece
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Jenkins, H., Ford, S., & Green, J. (2013). Introduction: Why Media Spread. In Spreadable media: creating value and meaning in a networked culture (pp. 1-46). New York; London: New York University Press.