It’s the holy grail of digital marketing: the viral ad, a pitch that large numbers of viewers decide to share with family

and friends. Several techniques derived from new

technology can help advertisers attain this. In our research, two colleagues and I use infrared eye-tracking scanners to de-termine exactly what people are looking at when they watch video ads. We also use a system that analyzes facial expressions to reveal what viewers are feeling. These technologies make it possible to isolate ele-ments that cause people to stop watching

and to � nd ones that keep them engaged. In addition, they make it possible to de-termine what kinds of ads are most likely to be shared and what types of people are most likely to share them. Here are � ve big problems online advertisers face, along with solutions that have emerged from our research.

PROBLEM 1 Prominent Branding Puts Off ViewersWhen people watch ads, they focus on a few things, such as the actors’ mouths and

eyes. They also focus on logos. This isn’t the boon it might seem: The more promi-nent or intrusive the logo, the more likely viewers are to stop watching— even if they know and like the brand. Why? People seem to have an unconscious aversion to being persuaded, so when they see a logo, they resist.

The solution: Utilize “brand puls-ing.” Smart advertisers unobtrusively weave the brand image throughout the ad. Experiments have shown that this can in-crease viewership by as much as 20%. One of the best examples of the technique is IL

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TEAMWORK 30Creative people aren’t the only ones needed in radical-innovation groups

DEFEND YOUR RESEARCH 32 Hard-to-read type improves readers’ recall

VISION STATEMENT 34 Technology adoption aff ects national wealth

COLUMN 38Erskine Bowles on making sacrifi ces to invest in America’s future

The New Science of Viral AdsFive techniques can help companies make commercials that people will watch and share by Thales Teixeira

FIRSTFIRST

March 2012 Harvard Business Review 25

Coca-Cola’s animated “Happiness Factory” ad. (Like all the other videos referenced in this article, it’s available on YouTube.) It depicts a fantasy version of what happens inside a Coke machine when someone in-serts money. A Coke bottle is shown repeat-edly, but each appearance is quick; you can almost imagine that the story would work without the bottle. In fact, a good ques-tion to ask when conceiving an ad is: If I removed the brand image, would the con-tent still be intrinsically interesting? If the answer is yes, viewers are more likely to keep watching.

PROBLEM 2 People Get Bored Right AwayAfter recording viewers’ expressions with video cameras, we use automated technol-ogy that measures the distances between various parts of the face to identify smiles, frowns, and other expressions that cor-relate closely with emotions. (Previous re-search relied on human coders; automating the process improves accuracy and allows for a much larger sampling.) After analyz-ing thousands of reactions to many ads, second by second, and tracking exactly when people stop watching, we found that keeping viewers involved depends in large part on two emotions: joy and surprise. To maximize viewership, it’s important to generate at least one of these responses early on. Traditionally, though, advertisers have constructed narratives that escalate toward a dramatic climax or a surprise end-ing. Such commercials may have worked on TV decades ago, but today’s online viewers need to be hooked in the opening seconds.

The solution: Create joy or surprise right away. Two videos stand out for elic-iting these emotions at the start. In one, the familiar Apple spokesman is joined by Mr. Bean, who dances crazily for the remain-der of the spot. (The video, it turns out, is not an o� cial Apple ad but a well-crafted parody of Apple’s “Get a Mac” series.) Bud Light’s “Swear Jar” ad opens with a surprise: When an o� ce sets up a jar that workers must pay into as a penalty for pro-

fanity, one employee immediately curses because he knows the money will be used to buy Bud Light. Both videos hook people instantly.

PROBLEM 3 People Watch for a While But Then StopAlthough the Mr. Bean video initially suc-ceeds in attracting viewers, it doesn’t keep them watching. That’s because the joy the video creates is delivered at a fairly constant level. We’ve found that ads that produce stable emotional states generally aren’t effective at engaging viewers for very long.

The solution: Build an emotional roller coaster. Viewers are most likely to continue watching a video ad if they ex-perience emotional ups and downs. This fits with psychological-research findings about human adaptability. When we come

into a warm home on a cold winter day, or when we receive a pay raise, we experience pleasure, but the feeling is transitory; the novelty soon wears o� . So advertisers need to brie� y terminate viewers’ feelings of joy or surprise and then quickly restore them, creating an emotional roller coaster—much the way a movie generates suspense by al-ternating tension and relief.

The “Swear Jar” video makes skillful use of the roller-coaster technique. The opening scene, which sets up the ad’s con-ceit, lasts just 15 seconds. The remainder of the 60-second spot consists of seven scenes with bleeped-out profanities, each conveying its own surprise and humor. By delivering a fresh dose of these elements every six seconds or so, the ad holds on to its viewers.

PROBLEM 4 People Like an Ad but Won’t Share It Getting time-crunched viewers to watch a 60-second ad is no small feat, but it won’t necessarily make the ad go viral. Experi-ments I conducted on my own demon-strate that even though people may enjoy an ad themselves, they won’t always send it to others. In particular, I found that al-though shock may get people to watch an ad privately, it often works against their de-sire to share the spot.

Bud Light’s “Clothing Drive” ad uses the same cast, setting, and general structure as

“Swear Jar.” Here, an o� ce worker tries to create enthusiasm for a charity drive by of-fering a Bud Light for every article of used clothing donated. The characters respond by removing clothes they’re wearing, and the scenes that ensue contain increas-ing degrees of nudity (private parts are

obscured by black bars). Like “Swear Jar,” “Clothing Drive” garnered high viewership. But unlike “Swear Jar,” it was not widely shared. The nudity was too shocking.

The solution: Surprise but don’t shock. Consider Evian’s “Roller Babies” ad, which features computer-generated infants roller dancing to a hip-hop song. It uses all three strategies suggested above. The brand is relatively unobtrusive but ap-pears frequently throughout the 60-second spot. Within seven seconds of the opening, viewers see an infant on roller skates mov-ing his head rhythmically, like a rapper—a scene that’s su� ciently surprising to hook them. The rest of the spot consists of 11 different scenes of infants executing de-lightful dance moves. Unlike the Mr. Bean video, in which the dancing is continuous,

Videos that deliver constant levels of joy or surprise don’t engage viewers for very long. Advertisers need to build an emotional roller coaster.

IDEA WATCH

26  Harvard Business Review March 2012

this ad cuts from scene to scene, modulat-ing the viewer’s joy and o� ering repeated surprises. “Roller Babies” has been viewed more than 50 million times on YouTube. In the world of viral ads, that’s a home run.

PROBLEM 5 People Still Won’t Share the AdEven when an ad has been perfectly tai-lored to go viral, only a subset of those who watch it will share it. In fact, my research shows that whether or not an ad is shared depends as much on the personality types of viewers as on the ad itself.

The solution: Target the viewers who will. I’ve identi� ed two attributes of people who frequently share ads: Extrover-sion and egocentricity. The first is hardly surprising, but the second is, at least on the face of it. Why would egocentric people be inclined to share—an act that’s usually as-sociated with helping others? I believe that in many cases it’s because they are look-ing to increase their social status. Their primary aim in posting or e-mailing an ad link isn’t to make others joyful; it’s to display their own taste, media savvy, and connectedness.

It’s hard to target viewers on the basis of personality type, but that’s apt to change as social media evolve. For instance, compa-nies are already placing ads on the pages of Facebook users who frequently post links and are reaching out to Twitterers who have large followings. The ability to find these archetypal sharers will become just as important as the ability to reach certain demographic groups has traditionally been.

AS VIEWERS gain increasing control over which ads they sit through, advertisers will have to become more consumer-centric. They’ll need to think harder about the value a video o� ers to the viewer, instead of considering primarily how well the video serves the brand. The result will be ads that are both more e� ective and more enjoyable. HBR Reprint F1203A

Thales Teixeira is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School.

FW: HEY, CHECK OUT THIS ADUTILIZE “BRAND PULSING”COCA-COLA—“Happiness Factory”

ANALYSIS: Instead of putting the logo front and center, this ad weaves it unobtrusively through-out—a tactic that can increase viewership by 20%.

YOUTUBE VIEWS: 5.4 million

OPEN WITH JOYAPPLE (PARODY)—“Mr. Bean”

ANALYSIS: Unlike traditional TV ads that build to an emotional climax, this video elicits joy in its opening seconds, immediately hooking viewers.

YOUTUBE VIEWS: 5.5 million

CREATE A ROLLER COASTERBUD LIGHT—“Swear Jar”

ANALYSIS: Eight scenes, each with its own punch line, deliver the interrupted doses of joy and surprise needed to sustain view-ers’ interest.

YOUTUBE VIEWS: 5.5 million

SURPRISE BUT DON’T SHOCKBUD LIGHT—“Clothing Drive”

ANALYSIS: The relatively low number of views suggests that people felt inhibited about sharing this ad with family and friends.

YOUTUBE VIEWS: 1.9 million

USE ALL OF THE ABOVEEVIAN—“Roller Babies”

ANALYSIS: This ad has every-thing: It opens on a joyful note, cuts between scenes for an emo-tional roller coaster, and isn’t too edgy for people to share.

YOUTUBE VIEWS: 51 million

HBR.ORG

March 2012 Harvard Business Review 27

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