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August 10, 2006

Word of MouthOK Go dances with fans to build online popularity

dancing
OK Go on stage. The band put out a call for Flickr photos, like this one from wassock, to feature on their site.

Just a few years back, OK Go was a band well-known in the Chicago area, but unknown to the rest of the world. Today the band has the most downloaded music video in music history, thanks to the powers of YouTube and viral promotion.

Known for their funny live performances, OK Go's video for "A Million Ways," off of 2005's "Oh No," became a hot download last summer. Thanks to YouTube, the video is once again a favorite view on the site. Since being uploaded by the band in February of this year, the video has been viewed more than 333,206 times with 104 comments left. The clip, filmed in one take in lead singer Damian Kulash's back yard for the bargain price of $4.99 (the cost of a video tape), showcases the band's love of choreographed dancing to their now-hit single. Take a look:

The buzz surrounding the video's popularity has gained recognition from tradtional and mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times and even Good Morning America. GMA just debuted their 'YouTube Video of the Week' segment this week and of course, talked about OK Go's poularity with YouTube founders by Chad Hurley and Steve Chen.

Even JC Penney picked up on the band's popularity, featuring them in commercials for a new back-to-school promotion.

So, what's a band to do with all this viral buzz circulating around them? Keep it going.

The band sent out a call to fans through YouTube, "The OK Go Dances With You(Tube) Contest," for the best dead-on copy of their dance video. Participants who best resembled the band's routine in their own video would win a trip to see the quartet live in concert and, of course, come up on stage to dance with them. The call for entries was made into a YouTube clip.

So far hundreds of fans have uploaded their clips, rating each other's efforts as they anxiously await an awser from the band. One of my favorites, and apparently a lot of others, is the Hollywood and Vine rendition, where a brave foursome have beverages thrown on them as they dance through traffic.

OK Go is a great example of how viral communication can turn into a smart marketing plan. Their latest video, "Here it Goes Again," features the same low-budget choreography, this time on treadmills, and is already becoming a favorite of fans and media critics alike as it makes its way across the Internet. (They're asking fans to vote for it on VH1Top 20 by way of their blog.) This small band is now a big player in today's pop music scene, all thanks to realizing the power of word of mouth.

That and the ability to dance really, really well together.

Posted by Alicia Dorset at August 10, 2006 02:32 PM

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