Last Updated on April 8, 2016

Chances are that you’ve been living in a cave or completely isolated from all media sources if you haven’t heard of Gangam style yet. It’s a music video performed entirely in Korean by a Korean performer named Psy. The video is truly outrageous featuring wild costumes and a catchy pop sound similar to that of LMFAO.

The music video on Youtube has amassed 190 million views so far on Youtube and achieved what many social media and online marketing campaigns ultimately strive for; global exposure, mass attention and eventually going viral. Let’s take a look at what online advertising agencies can learn from Psy’s Gangnam Style.

Don’t Change For The Market

Most people assumed that Psy would make an English version of the song in order to appeal to the U.S market. After all, it isn’t going to be easy to climb the U.S charts with a song that no one can understand. However, he still managed to land Itunes #1 spot with his song performed In Korean; he refused to change his essence to suit the U.S market. Other K-Pop artists that have tried to deliver what they thought the U.S market wanted didn’t achieve one tenth of Psy’s success. Too many companies try to be everything to everyone at once which results in a marketing strategy that isn’t focused. If you have a product that is truly unique and innovative; the masses will buy.

Youtube Rules

Gangnam Style has amassed over 221 million views which is incredible. Obviously an advertising video isn’t going to do nearly as well. However, it’s still possible to produce advertising content that is still entertaining; something that people will actually want to view and share with their friends. Volkswagen “The Force” campaign is an excellent example of a commercial that went viral and garnered 54 million views on Youtube. The trend is moving towards advertising that is integrated with content and entertainment. Another great example are the videos created by Ford Motor starring Ryan Seacrest and other celebs in order to promote the Ford Fusion.

Strike When The Iron Is Hot

Once Gangnam Style started going viral, Psy wasted no time. He immediately went to the States, signed with Scooter Braun and could be seen promoting himself on The Ellen Show, The Today Show, SNL, all of L.A’s hit music stations and even made an appearance at the MTV Music awards. The same concept applies to online advertising; you want to strike when a product is “hot” and “happening”. Everything moves a lot faster due to the internet; blink and you might miss an opportunity of a lifetime.

Celebrity Endorsements Don’t Hurt

Psy has received lots of tweets from celebs including one from Britney Spears stating that she wanted to learn his dance. More power to you if you can get a celebrity to try out your product or services and tweet about it. Celebs generally have huge followings on Twitter and one Tweet from someone influential can expose your product to hundreds and thousands of people.

Let Other People Promote Your Product

The most important lesson we can learn is that the power of going viral lies in having others promote your product or business. Gangnam Style receives even more exposure every time someone leaves a comment on his Youtube video or uploads a parody of his video. The ultimate goal of any advertising campaign should be to create content that is so compelling that people will want to share it with all their friends and the rest of the world.

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