There I was browsing Facebook, and with slight amazement, I saw it.
I’m talking about yet ANOTHER parody video of Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song “Call Me Maybe.”
[WARNING: the song will be stuck in your head by the end of this post.]
The video I saw on Facebook was created by a group of people at the Southern Pines Pilot – the newspaper in Southern Pines, NC. Upon seeing it, I couldn’t help but think, these parody videos have practically made Carly Rae a household name overnight, amplifying her fame far beyond her initial single itself.
Not only have an incredible number of these videos been created, they’ve been shared a ton on the likes of Facebook and Twitter and garnered recognition for the groups creating them.
Enter the Drafting Technique
Now for a little NASCAR lesson. Drafting is a technique in which two cars line up very close to one another – back bumper to front bumper – and essentially increase their total speed by working together and decreasing the amount of air between the two vehicles. NASCAR fans, how’d I do on that explanation?
Anyways, the drafting technique is also frequently applied to public relations. If you spot a story relevant to your client or organization, you can use it as a launchpad to leverage a possible topical follow-up story.
And that’s exactly what has been done with “Call Me Maybe.” First Justin Bieber and friends did it, and that’s where it really took off. Everyone from the U.S. Swim Team to The Today Show to the Southern Pines Pilot have now created a video and used the drafting technique to garner attention, granted, some got more attention than others. While the Southern Pines Pilot video might not get millions of views, it’s likely that people in that town and surrounding areas – their customers – will see it at some point, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see a local TV station pick it up either.
You might not always have the “biggest” or most innovative idea, but by using the drafting technique and a little creativity, you might be able to leverage someone else’s idea or news item and put your own twist on it to find yourself right in the spotlight.
Call Me Maybe.
