“Viral video” is the talk of e-commerce these days; everyone’s wondering if they could be the next Will It Blend phemon. In today’s crowded media landscape, though, it’s easier said than done.

That’s why there’s such a storm around a recent TechCrunch post called The Secret Strategies Behind Many Viral Videos. In it, a Stanford undergrad talks about the methods he’s used to gain viewers and make promotional video content “go viral”. The controversy centers around his use of unethical “black hat” methods to promote videos. TechCrunch’s firestorm — about 90% negative — points out the significant risk in spammy promotion, particularly to the brand-conscious marketer.

The main point of the controversial post is still valid, though. Creating great video commercials is only half the battle. In today’s Internet, attention is the great commodity. Drawing attention (i.e. viewers) to your video is the key to generating marketing value.

Filed under: YouTube, effective online video, video