First, there was the song “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye (pronounced Go-Tee-Yay) The video for that has been viewed 67 million times.

Then came the cover by Walk On the Earth. 50 million views in its own right.

Now, the parody of the cover, this one by Key of Awesome. Almost half a million views in a day and a half.

Normally, fiskybusiness89′s YouTube page is reserved for the music (and related videos) of one Brian Fisk, but the Falcon guitar is an adventure in both craftsmanship and viral marketing for business purposes. Before that, however, here’s the musical instrument in question:

Yes, the Millennium Falcon guitar is for sale. If interested, you can email Mr. Fisk to inquire about prices. Because we’re more concerned with how awesome Fisk’s creation is, as well as the viral nature of it, because it is pretty geek-tacular. Bonus: not only does the video feature the guitar, as well as its ability to be played, Fisk also featured a short how-to segment, demonstrating how the Falcon guitar was created.

Of course, Fisk’s guitar was featured on Reddit’s geek YouTube page, which only helps in the video’s viral popularity.

In other news, it’s hard not to wonder whether or not if Fisk’s Millennium Falcon guitar would be considered a SOPA/ACTA violation, especially since he made a YouTube video of it. Then there’s the fact the Falcon itself has some sound effects from the official movie(s) intact. Would George Lucas approve, especially when you consider his love for rewriting history? I’m inclined to think if Lucas bought it, he’d remake the video, complete with ILM footage of Jabba the Hutt in the background.

Lead image courtesy of Wookiepedia.

We always think of the Internet, social media, and memes as the domain of the young. But, everybody gets old.

What kind of conversations will we have when we are old about cat videos, Anonymous, ragefaces, and general lulz? And, what will replace all that? Remember Digg? Myspace? Prodigy?

Each generation is so cutting edge. But, eventually, the next media format comes along. Boundaries get pushed. Previous ways to measure popularity pale in comparison to current ways.

But, for now, we can laugh at the concept of aging hipsters.

Is she pregnant in that Before picture?

He’s holding his gut in big-time in this one!

Is that even the same person in both pictures?

This YouTube video has gone viral, racking up over a million views in 24 hours. In it, this guy shows how he did his Before and After pictures within 5 hours of each other. His results are staggering, and there is very little Photoshop used.

Maybe this is the way other advertisers do it. Maybe not. But, he shows that it sure can be done.

The story, which was seen over at TheBigLead.com, goes something like this: Before he transferred to Liverpool, Downing’s previous club, Aston Villa, made a viral video of Downing hitting soccer balls into a trashcans that were placed some 30 yards away. Members of the Liverpool management team — Americans John Henry and Tom Werner — saw the video and apparently went nuts.

The only problem is, the video was a fake:

John and I said, ‘Oh my god, this player is brilliant, we’ve got figure out a way to make a deal with him.’ We later found out of course that the footage was somewhat doctored but we were so excited about Downing joining Liverpool.

So what can a viral video do for you? Well, if the right, — or in this case, wrong — management team gets ahold of it, you may wind up being part of a huge money deal, one that’s way, way above your skill level.

Today’s videos feature a Fus Ro Dah! Cat, an incredible digital rug, a Fresh Prince remix we can all love, and Seth Rogen being very uncomfortable.

You know how when someone starts laughing and can’t stop, how that instinctively makes you laugh? It goes double when the person laughing is Brad Pitt (this is a recording from a Moneyball DVD feature, so it might be taken down)

For those who are from England and want to visit the US, never make a bet that involves us being able to eat or drink. We REALLY know how to do it.

Ok, the guy in the video does look like Gordon Freeman from Half-Life, which makes this a Headcrab Cat.

If I were the chancellor of the internet, I would give this creator an award for winning it. Because anyone that can make me say “awesome Hello by Lionel Ritchie video” deserves something.

Hello from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo.

We have a double dose of cat & video game related videos today. Which probably won’t happen again. Some feline FUS RO DAH.

Do or do not, there is no…wait, you’re not even going to try are you? Nope.

This is a first person Prom Night. It really is an amazing video, with some subtle yet appealing effects.

PROM NIGHT from celia rowlson-hall on Vimeo.

I have been a long time rug hater. I swore I would never put a rug in my house. After seeing this one, I’m probably going to be a hypocrite.

Some extra love and care went into this Fresh Prince remix. It’s sneakily catchy.

Thanks Rogen, for making a small segment with Kate Beckinsale really uncomfortable. My favorite aspect of this video is at the end when we realize Jodie Foster’s kids had to hear Seth Rogen say ‘erection’.

What do you think is the secret to viral success? Comment here.

According to James Percelay, the co-founder of marketing and advertising firm Thinkmodo, viral content (and videos in particular) is quickly gaining popularity in advertising to respond to the shift that consumers have taken in digital consumption. Thinkmodo is the two-man company that is responsible for the iPad Head Girl, Times Square TV Screen Hack, and Shaving Helmet videos, among others.

Take a look:

They have had wide success with their campaigns, which Percelay believes is a result of their approach.

“For us, it’s key to have fascinating, entertaining content, and that’s what makes something go viral,” he said. “We end our videos with a question mark so we can engage the viewer and make them… connect more with the brand.”

Their process is unique in that they create concepts after they talk to the company and understand what it hopes to achieve. These concepts attempt to draw consumers to the core of what the product or service does. The companies themselves don’t have very much input because Thinkmodo takes over all their publicity during the course of the campaign.

Although the company is still developing its metric side of the business, Percelay told us that their success has been proven in their clients’ increase in sales. For the Shaving Helmet campaign, for instance, HeadBlade‘s sales increased by 39 percent. In addition, the current campaign, the iPad Head Girl, which promotes a new Hearst magazine for men, has already exceeded 1 million views and is expected to get many more.

While Percelay admits that there is a “secret sauce” to getting the videos to go viral, he told us that their partnerships with mainstream media outlets assist in the process. He also advises marketers hoping to launch a viral campaign to consider SEO. As he explained, an idea that has already been tried cannot be used as a viral effort.

For this reason, Thinkmodo has been very selective in their clients and has actually turned down many companies. Percelay told us that if the concept isn’t present, a viral campaign will not work.

There have been some issues raised with their productions since many of their videos are fake scenarios. Some call this deceptive advertising, but Percelay believes it is a new art form. He explains that this form of engagement is similar to magic because, even though people know it’s not real, they’re intrigued and want to know how it is done.

For the companies that were worried that consumers would be disappointed by the hoax, Thinkmodo has released reveal videos to explain how they did it. These, however, have also worked in their favor because viewer counts have increased as a result.

Percelay calls their offering “free earned media” since it would be extremely expensive for a company to get the same kind of engagement and exposure in any other form. He doesn’t think that traditional TV ads will disappear, but he does think that they are losing their effectiveness as more consumers are transitioning online. He also believes that these viral tactics are where advertising is heading in the future.

What are your favorite examples of viral videos? Let us know in the comments.

For more ideas about getting your content to go viral, watch some of our previous interviews on the topic:

If you’re having a hard time placing the video… it’s the one with the timeless line: I’m the Best Man. I Did It.

To give you brief rundown on the video, Eli Porter was a high school student at Chamblee High School in Georgia. He appeared on a student produced rap battle show entitled “Iron Mic“. The show saw Eli go up against a fellow student named Envy. After a comical battle between the two, a 2-1 decision was made and Envy was declared the winner. You can see the original video below.

There is no questioning the videos comedic value. But, after viewing you’re probably left with several questions you wished you had an answer for. Here are a few of mine:

1.) Is Eli truly the best, as he so claimed?
2.) Why was the host rubbing on the middle judge?
3.) What was that loooong pause all about?
4.) Why did Envy win the battle?
5.) What’s the deal with the heart vignette?

So many questions.

Well, we’re in luck. As our questions will finally be answered… all of them. A new documentary has came out, People’s Champion: Behind The Battle, which breaks down each moment of the four-and-a-half video Internet meme.

The documentary explores almost every possible angle… talking to teachers, the students running the cameras, the producers, the judges, and even Eli Porter himself. People’s Champion runs about thirty minutes, and is worth a watch.

For more information about “People’s Champion: Behind The Battle” you can visit the official Facebook page.

The video info says, “I’m Debbie, I love cats and I just want a soulmate!” And that basically sums it up. The 2 1/2 minute video starts off quite normal and then turns really funny when Debbie can’t get a grip on her emotions when talking about cats.

The video has been picked up by a ton of blogs and news sites, ranging from Mashable to CBS. Some play it pretty straight, talking about how crazy Debbie is and making no mention of the validity. Others are more skeptical. Check it out:

It’s definitely not a real eHarmony dating service video bio, that I can say with certainty. It’s an acting job, and a pretty funny one at that. The video on YouTube was first posted on June 3rd and already has almost 3/4 of a million views. Sure, it’s fake, but it’s a lesson on how to go viral. People love the crazy.

The video was posted by user hartmanncara, who has another video on her channel entitled “Cara and Kara.” The video features the same girl as the cat video, but this time she acts as a pair of Siamese twins named, as you would expect, Cara and Kara.

So the main question with something like this – does “fakeness” serve as the kiss of death? Can a viral vid still have value if it is not completely, 100% authentic to its premise? In the case of humorous videos, “fakeness” is less of a factor. Sure, the video would have been much funnier if it was an actual eHarmony bio. But the fact that it’s a skit doesn’t take everything away from it, as it’s still pretty enjoyable (Because c’mon, you know some crazy cat girl really does exists out there).

On the flip side, here’s an example of when authenticity is vital: The Facebook Sleeve Tattoo Girl. On Wednesday, we (and many others) brought you the video of an anonymous girl getting an arm tattoo of 152 Facebook friends. We mentioned that it was designed by Pretty Social, a Dutch company that puts Facebook collages on items like handbags, laptop covers and lampshades.

Turns out the video was fake, staged as a marketing promotion for Pretty Social. The tat was apparently a temporary one, according to DutchNews.

However, Rotterdam tattoo artist Dex Moelker eventually came clean on the Telegraaf website, admitting the tattoo and video is an advertising stunt.

‘It is a try out tattoo, a transfer, that washes off in a couple of days,’ Moelker, who has a tattoo shop in Rotterdam, told the paper. It took a couple of hours to apply the transfer not the 30 hours the video claimed to produce the real tattoo

So laugh on, people of the internet. Fake or not, it’s still a pretty good video. Even with all that crying, though, I wonder if Debbie loves cats as much as Mitch Hedberg loves Koala Bears.