Banksy's Rebel Rocket Attack and How to Go Viral Yourself

Every business dreams of creating a viral video. Viral videos bring in views which then lead to sales or a larger viewer following. I was sitting online chatting with some friends and one of them happened to send me this video entitled Rebel Rocket Attack. At first I thought that the video might be related to the news in some reference to the U.S. Involvement in the Middle East, but what I found was a cleverly designed Banksy edited video that had accumulated over 2.5 million views in one day. For any video to get several million views in a day is a gigantic feat that establishes the video at having gone far beyond viral. In an effort to learn more about viral videos and share what I find with you, I've decided to utilize this Banksy viral video as one of our first case studies.

Before you read about the video any further, I encourage you to first watch it yourself so that we can be on the same page.

Content and Breakdown

In the world of social media and sharing, content is king. If you have good content and it isn't of an unreasonable length, you can earn more views and hold higher viewer retention. With the Rebel Rocket Attack video a key combination was struck that allowed it to find its way across the Internet. These key features not only helped this video but can help YOURS as well.

1. Title - Rebel Rocket Attack
2. Length - 1 minute and 30 seconds
3. Subject Matter - Provocative and controversial artistic and realistic (to an extent) war coverage.
4. Ignitability

When attempting to create a viral video you must do certain things in order to make sure you are poised to reach and audience. My list is not created in order of importance but covers the main features of the video that allow it to succeed. When listing content on YouTube it is important to list themed keywords via the title, description, and video tags. Interestingly this particular video has absolutely no description but is able to achieve a better reach from its Banksy roots. Though this video had no description, you should definitely include within the description selected keywords that are in line with the title and tags. Having a catchy title and streamlined keywords throughout any form of text describing the video is a must to climb search pages. There are plenty of tools such as Google's new Keyword Planner that will allow you to choose the best keywords on the market.

You've heard it a thousand times by now, 'content is king'. Banksy's Rebel Rocket Attack strikes the gold mine of rich viral content. Viewers go into the video thinking they are viewing a controversial and emotional rocket strike by some Middle Eastern rebel force but once sucked into the video it is revealed the rebels have instead shot down Dumbo the elephant from the famous Disney film. One soldier jumps on the animated elephant and starts screaming 'Allahu Akbar!'. While I can't confirm whether the live action footage is staged or not (my guess is that it's not), I can comment on the viral integrity of the video. Short videos are generally king unless you already have a following. Users generally will be more willing to sit through a two minute video than they would a fifteen minute short film. In the case of Banksy's subject matter, he chose something relevant and current. The ongoing conflict in Syria combined with other conflicts is presently in the news and highly searched and read about. Finding something relevant and current is easy and once found you simply need good content. Keeping content short keeps the video moving, action going, and viewers viewing.

You don't have to be Banksy to make a hit video. By observing and applying what works in marketing a video and retaining an audience, you yourself can do the same. YouTube is a great creative tool that allows you to create, view, and share content. Creating a great video will make people want to share and ignite the video itself, something you can track statistically. YouTube has wonderful analytics built in so that you can also track how well you are actually doing yourself. If you get lucky and do all the right things you then have the chance to monetize your successful video to make money. If you load your YouTube uploads with killer content and hot keywords, you yourself can shoot Dumbo out of the sky.

Don't Be Afraid of Social Media

One of the largest problems I hear from people is that they simply do not know how to use social sites. Social sites exist in order to provide connectivity and sharing amongst individuals, groups, and businesses. Knowing what is social media is a great start to evaluating why you are there. To find the definition of social media would involve reading through heaps of opinions. Knowing what is social media, is all about knowing what you want from it. There is no reason to miss out on the party simply because you don't know how to use a sharing website or application. Not everyone is a wiz at social media and you shouldn't be fooled into thinking that it is simply impossible to learn. Social media should not be overwhelming or stressful, but rather a relaxing way to share your favorite things in life and connect with loved ones and friends. Aside from their social aspects, there are many reasons to learn social media platforms for business or organizational purposes that could aide your company or help develop your group's social circle.

But I Just Don't Get It!

Take your hands off the keyboard and take a deep breath. Social media is not a puzzle and it's definitely not meant to cause you any stress (unless you are in charge of it for British Petroleum). Let me fill you in on a little secret I might take some flack for...my mom stresses over Facebook ALL THE TIME. There is absolutely no reason for her to, but she does. The big question is why does she stress over it? I think for some people Facebook represents something divorced from reality. There is a big mystical veil of pressure, immense need to share, and overall social pressure that simply does not need to exist. My mom's fear most likely stems not from an inability to do things, but rather from having so many new things she can do but does not want to do. If you simply wanted to drive to work and were given a F1 car with all its buttons and gadgets, you most likely would become confused and overwhelmed as well. Social media is loaded with gadgets, applications, and abilities that you probably will never use nor want to use, so don't be overwhelmed by what you don't need!

Find Purpose and Conquer Fears

There is a lot you can do on social media. For my mom, she simply wants to get on and get in contact with people she knows, sending them messages and sharing photos. It is completely understandable that she and the others who want to do the same thing are confused by all of the bells and whistles Facebook and other social media sites have to offer. Fortunately you don't need to be afraid of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or any other social media sites. Learn them one by one, feature by feature, and read everything the site has to share with you in regards to usage. Twitter and Facebook especially have wonderful user support built straight into their websites. There is no reason to be ashamed or afraid of these sites, and definitely don't give up. Social sites exist primarily to help you kill time and while they also serve other purposes, the majority of users who hop on sites like Facebook do so in order to find and share things that are personal and relevant to themselves and their circle.

Don't come home from work only to freak out about what you are doing online. The best way to conquer the social media titan is to stare it in the eye, learn as much as you can without becoming confused with features, and sign out until tomorrow.

So You Are Wondering Who I Am?

I'm sort of a mixed bag of skills and fantasies. My passions themselves are invested across a wide variety of activities and subjects that captivate my cranium and invigorate my soul. I'm trained as a historian with a degree in history from Carthage College in Kenosha that was culminated with a senior thesis on the social class differences between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This of course means, as you can probably guess, that I am also a Beatles nut. Because of my musical and technological obsessions, I've combined my degree in history and social media certification and training in order to create and run a website completely devoted to the Beatles at BeatleHistory.com.

Social Media You Say?

I spent most of my second half of my time in college writing SEO filled articles for money. My time spent writing on a historical level combined with my obsession with technology and the internet made doing copywriting a no-brainer, which is ultimately why I started doing it and stopped working minimum wage broke college kid jobs. I've always written things growing up, mainly short stories and poems, but never thought of writing pieces fine tuned for companies to get higher page ranks on search engines. After doing writing for several years in conjunction with maintaining the social media accounts and community for Dogs of War Gaming an online gaming community, I decided to start expanding my toolbox and techniques to provide social media services for individuals and companies for a living. I've undergone HootSuite's certification and am currently nearing completion of Rutger University's online certification program. 

And in the End

My ultimate goal with this blog is to share what I've learned and to blog about other things I genuinely enjoy. I really am motivated by being social online and the technology that allows me and others to continue being as such. Being social itself means more than just talking or typing to people, but also sharing content, sharing techniques and information, and learning myself. The internet has provided us as people with a huge toolbox and a treasure trove of opportunities to learn beyond schooling and traditional methods. My blog should be a great place to pick my brain, learn about me, and also teach me what you know. This blog won't just be another gluttony of monotonous pictures of food or mundane daily tasks, but a wealth of personal information, thoughts, and ideas. If I do talk about my latest hoagie, it will be with a genuine acknowledgement of why it's good or bad, the impact it's had on my life, and what wonderful company you can obtain one from or send death threats letters of dissatisfaction. As a genuine rule of thumb, I will try not to write about my hoagies unless it somehow has some vital significance to the both of us (and I'm sure it has).

I look forward to the journey ahead. Beak out your glasses, crack open a bottle of gin water, and start reading and sharing with me.

-Samuel Langford