Less than a week ago, filmmaker Tatia Pilieva uploaded a video titled “First Kiss” to her YouTube account with the simple description, “We asked twenty strangers to kiss for the first time…” In just six days, the video has garnered over 58 million views on the site. And yes, it’s just as awkward as you’d imagine.
The video was shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, by users encouraging others to watch the short black-and-white clip; many users found it moving and beautiful. How else could you explain why a video of 20 strangers kissing went viral? When users share viral content, they are sharing emotions. In this case, they were sharing the emotions surrounding the experience of a first kiss. But one critic disagreed with the idea of sharing emotion, instead saying users loved the video because they were told to love the video by their friends or family members on social media. He said because the video was in black-and-white and played soft music while couples shared romantic moments, users were almost expected to find it inspiring. It had all the characteristics of an uplifting video, but he argued many people shared the link because they were supposed to like it, not because they were sharing emotion through viral content.
But the critics didn’t stop there. Like all viral content, the video came under heavy scrutiny by those who wanted to know more about it. Turns out, the video is actually an advertisement for a clothing company called Wren, owned by Melissa Coker. Almost immediately, sites began labeling the video as “fake,” saying “First Kiss” features famous models, singers and band members who are all wearing clothing by Wren Studio. But speaking to the NY Times, Melissa Coker said she wasn’t trying to trick anyone. The 20 strangers had never met prior to shooting, so the experience was 100% real.
“The video flashes ‘Wren presents’ at the beginning and also mentions the company in the credits. ‘There was no part of it where this was a secret,’ Ms. Coker said.”
In response to Coker's statement, Pedestrian brings up an interesting point.
"If 'First Kiss' never pretended to be anything otherwise, does its nature as an advertisement make it (retroactively) any less moving for it being just another ad for clothes - albeit a brilliant one presented in a highly-shareable format? Are whatever feelings it evoked in you rendered void now you're a little wiser to its motives; or is this no different to being moved by the performances of actors in a film?"
This is a question advertisers will have to consider when modeling ads in the future. I’m not an advertising major, but I would say this video is well done (aside from those calling it “fake”). Combining emotion and advertisements is an effective way to promote a product or a company, possibly by producing viral content. I believe more advertisers will look to boosting sales through sharing emotions and online content. With only a $1,300 budget, Coker produced an advertisement that has been viewed millions of times, far exceeding the number she could reach even during fashion week.
“You can’t reach 40 million viewers in an 11- to 15-minute fashion runway presentation.” The times have changed. Maybe it’s time for advertisements to change as well.