In Mark Hughes book Buzzmarketing, he talks about the five most written about stories in the media:
1. The David and Goliath story
2. The unusual or outrageous story
3. The controversy story
4. The celebrity story
5. What’s already hot in the media
This brought me to think about the recent Fake Stephen Conroy controversy. Leslie Nassar had created an avid following on Twitter under his Telstra pseudonym, and when even the slightest rumour started about the Aussie telco stepping in to remove this on-line sensation – Tweeps and bloggers everywhere were up in arms.
Let’s think back to some of the on-line blunders that have created a huge amount of interest:
- Vincent Ferrari vs. AOL
- Jeff Jarvis vs. Dell (a.k.a “Dell Hell”)
- Steve Spangler vs. Coke (a.k.a “Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption)
Are we beginning to see a pattern here?
While I like to see the little guy sticking it to the big guy as next as the next person – would some of these stories have created as much buzz or interest on-line, if it had been normal Joe vs. normal Fred? Or is it that we love to see corporations make mistakes?
Community Girl 
Does underdog story fall under David&Goliath?
Because Susan Boyle on Britain’s got Talent, the world’s current top viral video, falls under sections 1 & 2. Not to mention its a classic underdog story.
Susan has the condescending judges go from dismiss to impress in seconds. Watch as she melts the incredulous hearts of the audience. Gasp as she hits Judy Garland high notes. Tear up as she gets a standing ovation. Chuckle as she humbly walks off stage before the judges can swallow their acid tongues. Cue uplift music.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ymn0_susan-boyle-on-britain-got-talent
Now we’re all waiting for the follow up video. I reckon Susan already has an agent. She’ll host a popular karaoke competition and make regular TV appearances. Now she’s wide open to exploit Buzzmarketing’s rules 3, 4 and 5.
I think Susan Boyle definitely qualifies – everybody loves an underdog story, especially the media!
How excited the producers of Britain’s Got Talent must have been to find this diamond in the rough. The smug looks on the audience and judges faces as she interviewed on stage before hand, all expecting her to fail, as doesn’t everybody love to see people humiliate themselves in front of a large audiences (also point 3, perhaps?) – but when she opened her mouth, the dismissive looks were triumphantly transformed.
This story is also very, very similar to Britain’s Got Talent other underdog – season 1 winner, Paul Potts??
Its a lesson for us all, comfortably detached on our computers, to resist cynicism and easy criticism. Susan Boyle has so much heart, she’s a world away from the ironic detachment of GenY&X, who would be unlikely to admit they’ve never been kissed.
Didn’t see Paul Potts. I was a social media hermit until recently, cloistered alone in my luddite cave, braiding my long hobo beard with nonconformist knots. If it had gone on any longer I might have turned into the web2.0 Unabomber; paranoid, disgruntled, sending mail bombs to blog comments with self-righteous zeal.