Marketing Lessons from the Double Rainbow Guy

You know a video is “super viral” when parodies of the video are getting extraordinary view counts. I have yet to come across a video that comes close to Double Rainbow Guy that has generated so many parodies in such a short period of time. It’s a testament to the uniqueness and appeal of such a simple, yet powerful video.

For those who haven’t seen the video, it’s basically all about a man freaking out over a double rainbow. When I say freak out, I mean literally having an out of body, religious experience. It’s powerful stuff.

But what is it about Mr. Double Rainbow that makes everyone sit up and take notice? What are the lessons we can use as marketers for future campaigns to truly connect with our audience?

Here’s our first attempt at understanding the immense power of the Double Rainbow Guy

Lesson #1: It’s not marketing

Gee thanks Einstein! We know it’s not marketing. But it’s a valuable lesson that too many marketers think about their product and overtly trying to sell something when creating campaigns or videos. Sometimes the most effective marketing is sharing a moment, educating a consumer and just having plain fun. When a customer doesn’t feel like they are being sold, they are much more likely to connect.

Lesson #2: Unscripted, authentic dialog breaks through the clutter

When’s the last time you saw a commercial that felt unscripted, authentic and joyful? It’s been a while for me. Too many advertisements are overly polished and full of marketing speak. It allows our brains to shut out key messaging. The Double Rainbow Guy is speaking to us in a dialogue that is different, unscripted, authentic and pure. It breaks through the clutter because we are not used to it. I venture to say, it’s refreshing.

Lesson #3: Nothing better than pure emotion

If you haven’t seen the video there is a stretch where Double Rainbow Man is doing a full-out “laughter sob” also known as a “lob” in our office. It’s basically when you are so happy that you are pushed to tears and it becomes impossible to determine whether you are crying or laughing. We need more crying and laughing in marketing. And not the fake stuff. I want the all out falling on the ground stuff that makes me laugh. I want to see an Apple commercial showing Steve Jobs watching a video on his iPad laughing his butt off. Laughter is a powerful point of connection and we should use it more.