When you watch videos online, some ads grab your attention right away. These are viral videos that help brands grow.
What makes these videos so popular?
Emotions!
Videos that make you feel happy, surprised, or moved are the ones you want to share with friends. People remember how ads make them feel, not just what they say about products.
You don’t need a big budget to make videos that people love.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to use emotions in your videos to help your brand reach more people. These simple tips work for small businesses and big companies alike.
What Are Viral Video Ads?
When you see videos that everyone seems to be sharing, those are viral video ads. These videos spread fast online because people keep sending them to their friends.
What makes videos go viral?
They catch your attention quickly and make you feel something – like happiness, surprise, or excitement. Viral ads don’t just talk about products. They show stories or moments that viewers connect with.
When someone watches a good viral ad, they think, “My friends would love this!” Then they share it. This helps brands reach thousands or even millions of people without paying for extra advertising.
That’s why companies want their videos to go viral – it helps them reach more customers for less money.
Key Features of Viral Ads
- Easy to Share: Viral ads make you want to show them to others. When you see something funny, touching, or surprising, you naturally want your friends to see it too.
- Makes You Feel Something: Good viral ads touch your emotions. They might make you laugh, feel inspired, or warm your heart. When people feel something while watching, they remember the ad.
- Creativity: For your ad to catch attention, it needs to show something new or different. People ignore boring ads but stop to watch creative ones that surprise them.
- Short and Quick: Most viral ads are only 15 to 60 seconds long. You need to grab viewers’ attention fast before they scroll to the next thing on their phone.
Platforms for Viral Ads
When you want more people to see your ads without spending too much money, picking the right platform matters:
- Instagram: Share your short videos as Stories, Reels, or regular posts. People love visual content here, and it’s easy for them to share with friends.
- TikTok: This app is perfect for short, catchy videos. Their system helps good videos reach lots of viewers, even if you don’t have many followers yet.
- Facebook: You can show your ads to exactly the right people here. This helps you reach possible customers without wasting money on people who won’t be interested.
- YouTube: If your story needs a bit more time, YouTube works well. You can make slightly longer videos that build stronger feelings and connections with viewers.
Understanding the Importance of Creativity Over Budget
When you have a small budget, your best tool is creativity.
Big companies might spend lots of money on fancy ads, but you don’t need that to go viral. What makes ads stand out is fresh ideas and real feelings. People connect better with videos that feel genuine instead of perfect, corporate ads.
A simple but clever idea can get much more attention than an expensive but boring one.
Examples of Successful Low-Budget Viral Ads
- Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” This company made videos showing their blenders crushing unusual things like marbles and phones. The idea was simple, but it got millions of views without costing much money.
- Dollar Shave Club: Their first video was funny, different, and made with little money. It became hugely popular, showing that humor and being relatable work better than big spending.
These examples show that good ideas, not big budgets, often make ads go viral.
The Role of Emotions in Creating Viral Video Ads
Feelings are why video ads get shared so much.
When a video makes you feel something strong, whether happy, surprised, touched, or even angry, you want to share it with others.
Emotional ads stick in your memory and help you feel connected to brands.
Key Emotional Appeals in Viral Video Ads
Positive Emotions:
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- Humor: When ads make you laugh, you want to share them. Funny ads make people like your brand and share your content more.
- Inspiration: Videos that motivate people or show personal growth connect deeply, especially when they tap into dreams many people share.
- Happiness: Happy, uplifting videos make viewers want to spread the good feelings, so they share them more.
Negative Emotions:
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- Fear: Videos that make you a bit worried can make you act quickly, especially for limited-time deals.
- Sadness: When ads make you feel sad through their story, you might feel more connected and want to support their cause.
- Anger: Videos that make you upset about social issues can get people to rally behind a cause and share the message.
Mixed Emotions: Using multiple emotions together, like mixing humor with inspiration, or sadness with joy, can create videos that touch viewers even more deeply.
How to Craft Emotionally Engaging Video Ads
Now that you know emotions help videos spread, here’s how you can make ads that touch people’s feelings:
Tell a Good Story
Stories make people feel things.
When you tell a story people can relate to, they connect with your brand. Your story could be about overcoming a problem, finding love, or reaching a goal. Make sure your story has characters people care about, ups and downs, and a good ending that leaves viewers feeling something.
Create Characters People Care About
Your viewers need someone to cheer for.
When you make characters that feel real with clear goals, people connect with them. The more your viewers see themselves in your characters, the more likely they’ll share your video with friends.
Use Colors, Music, and Body Language
How your ad looks and sounds affects how people feel.
Colors can make people feel different things. Blue makes them feel trust, red makes them feel excited. Music is also powerful. Happy songs make people feel good, while slow music can make them feel sad or thoughtful. Also, pay attention to how people in your ad use their faces and bodies to show feelings.
Show a Problem and Fix It
Good stories often show a problem and then solve it.
Start your ad with something your viewers understand as a challenge, then show how it gets better. This makes them feel relief or happiness, and they become more interested in your story.
5. Craft an Emotional Call to Action (CTA)
Your call to action should match the feelings in your ad.
If your ad makes people feel strong, ask them to “Join us in making things better.” If it makes them laugh, say, “Share this with someone who needs to smile.” Make sure your ask feels right after the feelings you’ve created.
Examples of Emotional Viral Ads
Here are some brands that used emotions well in their ads:
- Nike’s “Dream Crazy”: Nike showed stories of athletes beating tough challenges. The feeling of pushing past limits connected with viewers, making this one of their best campaigns ever.
- Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches”: Dove focused on how women see themselves. By showing real feelings and truth, Dove connected with viewers while challenging the beauty rules that many people don’t like.
- Always’s “#LikeAGirl”: This ad used feelings of fairness to question how we think about gender. It not only went viral but also got people talking all over the world.
These examples show how making people feel something in your ads helps them spread, builds your brand, and creates loyal customers.
Measuring the Emotional Effectiveness of Your Ads
After your ad starts running, you need to check how well it touches people’s feelings. Here’s how to do that:
- Look at Engagement: Count the likes, shares, comments, and reactions. When lots of people engage with your ad, it usually means they felt something while watching it.
- Check How People Feel: Use tools that analyze comments to see if people are happy, sad, or excited about your ad. This helps you know if your emotional approach is working..
- Track Clicks and Sales: Ads that make people feel something often get more clicks and sales. Keep an eye on these numbers to see how emotions lead to action.
Using Emotions Responsibly
While feelings make ads work better, you need to use them in the right way. Trying to make people feel bad (using fear, guilt, or shame) to get them to do something can hurt your brand. Make sure your emotional messages are honest and match what your brand stands for. Connect with viewers without taking advantage of their feelings.
Last Thoughts On Role of Emotions!
Feelings are key to making videos that people want to share. When you understand how emotions make people engage with your content, you can create ads that connect with viewers. Whether you make them laugh, feel inspired, or feel understood, emotions help people remember and share your ads.