Funny Internet Jokes and Viral Content

There's no real lesson behind this post - aside from a sort of explanation of just what viral content is. If you haven't experienced the power and the majesty of Tuscan Whole Milk before now, and more importantly its product reviews, then you are in for a treat. I found this magical jem several years ago, trolling through the product reviews at Amazon.com. Amazon really had one of the first "social networks," as we know them today, as their product reviews were open to the public. At some point, someone found milk being sold on Amazon and said to themselves, "Hmm. That's interesting," followed by the question, "Why in the hell is someone selling milk online?"The product was not a gag - it was really an item you could order, and wait for, in lieu of walking to the store and buying a gallon of milk today. Sans shipping costs. People began reviewing the milk, with the results shown. The reviews on the product page only go back to about mid-2006, but I found people having fun with this around 2001. These reviews didn't help the product, of course, though honestly, what could have helped mail order milk? (Which is no longer available for order.) My point is that viral content isn't something you can just cook up because you would like some buzz, thank you very much. Funny internet jokes appeal to people because they are fun and funny. Saying "we're trying to make something funny" can be very uncomfortable to many marketing people. "Funny," as stated, is intangible. "Fun" is a perception we may want to brand a product with, but otherwise meaningless. And when you are that jaded about "funny" and "fun," you are wholesale incapable of either. So when you decide to create a "sensation" with some piece of video or blogging or maybe a Flash game, please take time to consider if what you are doing is actually enjoyable. You may manage to get your branding absolutely correct and you messaging completely on target - but NO ONE WILL CARE. Because viral content is not about you. It's about the user.