Guest Column: Understanding the science behind virality: Anirudh Pandita, Founder, Pocket Aces

Brands have discovered the immense potential videos hold in today’s socially connected world and organic video virality has become every marketer’s dream

e4m by Anirudh Pandita
Published: Jan 20, 2018 9:55 AM  | 4 min read

The term “viral” defines the phenomenon on the internet where a piece of content spreads far and wide in a short amount of time, much like a contagious virus does in real life. This modern aspect of the internet culture has come to define how word of mouth spreads at scale over the World Wide Web.

Meanwhile, the ease of access to social media on smartphones due to the reduced cost of broadband connectivity and cheap smartphones, has led to the rise of digital video as a medium. India today has 160 million digital video viewers and this number is expected to reach 450 million by 2020. Furthermore, platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook and YouTube all have ~200 million MAUs in the country. With short form being a primary consumption media through the day and people acting as distributors of content thanks to social media and messaging apps, we have seen a massive rise in the scale of distribution of ‘viral videos’.

Brands too have discovered the immense potential videos hold in today’s socially connected world and organic video virality has become every marketer’s dream. The digital advertising market in India is expected to go from $1 billion currently to $4 billion by 2020. A large part of that budget will go towards digital video.

Given the importance of video for audiences and advertisers it is critical to understand what virality means and why some videos go viral while others don’t.

A key aspect of what defines a viral piece of content is not well understood today. Often, people look at the number of views on a piece of content and use that to judge virality. Views however are an incomplete measure of virality. In order to judge virality it is critical to understand the speed at which people interact with the video or a particular piece of content. The most important parts of these are the shares and comments that any video receives.

A content creator should look at audience engagement as the key metric to measure the virality of a piece of content. Over time, several videos may garner millions of views but every user that shares it is effectively the distributor of that video. The comments are also an indicator of its effectiveness and platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow tagging of other user which increases the number of eyeballs on it.

Treat content like a science and while there isn’t necessarily a set formula for virality that content creators can follow, there are certainly some rules of thumb that one can use to achieve desirable results. Today, the right content can create distribution and the content becomes critical to virality. The most viral videos (i.e. the ones with lakhs of shares and comments) have certain features that contributed to their success:
● Relatability in the content that can help strike an emotionally authentic chord with the target audience
● Target communities, whether it is couples or doctors or college going students, the content must target specific communities
● Identify universal relationships and key aspects of those relationships
● Use comedy and humour to make the video more engaging
● Authenticity and believability is key in ensuring the viewer relates to your content
● Ask and answer specific questions - who and why will someone share this content? Will they tag people?

By following these rules, content creators can take full advantage of the two way communication offered by digital mediums. This two-way flow is unique to digital and not available to traditional media, which is mostly one-way communication only. Also, unlike traditional mediums, key performance metrics (whether it’s views, comments or shares), are measurable and readily available on various platforms. This makes the direct impact of every piece of content tangible. What audiences feel about the content becomes amply clear to advertisers as well as creators.

There are a few metrics we have developed to measure the success of a video which take into consideration not only the views but also the comments and shares. Engagement rate (share rate and comment rate) as well as watch percentage (i.e. retention rate through the video) are critical metrics. Most viral videos have very high figures under these buckets. Most importantly, the engagement rates for videos are available publicly and can be seen by advertisers and peers alike. Watch percentages are not publicly available but must be kept in mind to ensure that the content is being consumed in its entirety and that the minutes watched are tracking views as well.

In conclusion, in order to run a successful digital entertainment company today, one must marry excellent creatives with a deep understanding of the real drivers of virality and the metrics that define a piece of “viral” content.
(The author is Founder,

Pocket Aces)

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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