Posted by Katie Farrar on Thu, Mar 20, 2008 @ 12:57 PM
This was the most viewed video on YouTube last week and I
think it’s a fantastic example of a viral video that is spreading the word of planting
trees and Going Green. This video was
viewed over 318,000 times, generated 341 user comments and was tagged as a favorite
749 times.
The Treeless Squirrel video is an amazing example of a viral
campaign that focuses on getting the word out to plant trees, “Go Green,” and to
become more environmentally aware. What
I like about The Treeless Squirrel is that it’s not the typical in your face, boring
facts, the world is ending, reduce your carbon foot print style that some Green
Living campaigns tend to lean towards.
This is a smart, funny, slightly cynical and definitely an offbeat way
to get the word out that we need to plant more trees.
What is so great about this campaign and why I think The
Treeless Squirrel has become viral and will continue to grow is that it’s not just one video that was
posted on YouTube. It’s an entire
website (www.treeless-squirrel.com)
that is devoted to spreading the message utilizing a number of different online
channels. The site is created in the
character of the squirrel and offers all sorts of things for people to explore:
The movie reel, a blog, downloadable widgets, a link to their Squidoo page and even an online store.
You can also check out the second video posted by the
Treeless Squirrel responding to a YouTube mad-libs challenge presented by
another user. So now Treeless Squirrel
is interacting with others in the YouTube community and he’s probably started
to create an interest and a following in his quest to find a home. Awesome!
I’ve got a feeling that this is only the beginning of the
Treeless Squirrel. Stay tuned as I track
his journey to find a new home. What do you think? Will the Treeless Squirrel ever find a home? Have you seen any other clever “Green” viral
campaigns recently?
Looking forward to your thoughts!