Visible Measures Blog

BuzzFeed will start to train agencies in its style of storytelling in the Social Storytelling Creator Program, according to Ad Age.  Agencies that participate in the 3-6 month program and are accredited will be able to post stories directly to the BuzzFeed site.

There’s no other way to say it, Google dominated the Viral Chart this week.

“Tonight at midnight, Youtube.com will no longer be accepting entries,” said Tim Liston, Competition Director of YouTube, on a video announcement from the yesterday.

On this week's Viral Video Chart, branded content veteran LeBron James helps the Miami Heat score the top spot on the chart, generating more than 22.2 million views after just launching last week. The NBA superstar is no stranger to viral video – he starred in Samsung's 2012 campaign LeBron's Day and the huge Nike campaign LeBron Rise from 2010. In this latest viral video, LeBron puts the Harlem Shake dance craze to the test while taking his Miami Heat teammates along for the ride.

Consumer tech is one of the most popular verticals in branded content. In 2012 alone, it generated over 700 million video views. Almost by default, it features the most innovative products on the market today, and teases what the future holds. It's home to some of the biggest rivalries in business along with the biggest opportunties. It's a natural fit for branded content.

As the battle for the smartphone and tablet market rages on, one of the most effective methods for reaching consumers is through video advertising. To show who's winning in this battle, we've produced the Top 10 Most Viral Video Tech Ads of 2012, based on our True Reach methodology.

On this week's Ad Age Viral Video Chart, Google dominates the chart with two campaigns. Google's first campaign, Go Google, climbs to fourth place with nearly 2 million views. The campaign promotes the collaborative power of Google products with the main spot called "Hall and Oats." In the creative produced by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the famous musical duo are writing lyrics to their 1982 pop hit "Maneater." Luckily for the musicians, Google Docs saves them from dubbing the song "Mangobbler."  Google's second campaign, Google Nexus 7 lands on the chart after the brand debuted its new Android tablet at Google's developer conference last week. It claims tenth place with 1.4 million views.

Mobile phones rule the Viral Video Chart this week, and with two spots rolling out big, Google is king.

Microsoft and Google took their battle for your email account to YouTube last month with their competing "Gmail Man" and "Email Intervention" videos. But several weeks online, it's looking like Microsoft brought a knife to a gun fight: Google's video, which doesn't mention Microsoft by name, is in the lead, and last week landed on the Viral Chart at No. 10.

Even Justin Bieber has to buy a little buzz every now and then.