Would you tell your friends?

ABC has launched a new TV show that encourages user generated content. It's a simple concept; submit a video with three words that describe your week. Each week they create a show using the top submissions in prime time.

They've compiled a moving 3 minute video with some of the submissions. Phrases range from "I love me" to more the more emotional "Dad. Died. Depressed." An interesting concept, to say the least, and one that will probably by copied by the other three networks shortly.

But will video's like this one become viral? In the long term, will they help ABC engage with consumers and amplify their voices?

Today, Seth Godin wrote an excellent article about the way something becomes viral. He uses a Darwin example to illustrate his point:

"If you take one pair of breeding elephants and make some conservative estimates about their fertility, you would have more than 15 million elephants in less than 500 years (if none of them died an early death)"

This example helps to illustrate the ways that something can become truly viral (breeding seems to be the ultimate example). Godin goes on to list the four primary ways that something can become viral (to paraphrase):

1. Your idea gets amplified - by a multi-million dollar budget or some great PR
2. The idea spreads through basic word-of-mouth - one person tells another (or many) and those people tell their friends
3. The idea is truly viral - one person tells 400 and those people tell hundreds of others (think about the power of the bloggers)
4. The idea spreads slowly catches on over a long period of time - very rare these days

Whatever the case may be, everyone is hoping that their idea is the next viral sensation. In reality, the majority of the viral ideas never catch on; they're to contrived, to corporate or just to...well...boring.

Will there be more successful viral campaigns? Of course. That being said, everyone knows what an elephant is. But they only remember the ones that really stand out.

Thanks to BK for the new ABS show and Godin for the great article -