At the end of December, half of Germany was excited about a new advertising video from the Berlin public transport company. With “Is mir egal”, the viral hit by Kazim Akboga, the BVG, which is otherwise considered rather uncool, is giving itself a new, casual image.
The Berlin rapper with Turkish roots plays the tolerant ticket inspector and bus driver who does not despair even when faced with women cutting onions and passengers on horses – even if this goes against the conditions of transport on Berlin’s buses and trains.
Whether via YouTube, Vimeo, or YouTube: practically everyone who publishes a video on a social media platform wants it to reach as many internet users as possible. But only a few, like Akboga, manage to become a trending topic on Twitter within hours and collect hundreds of likes on Facebook.
Anyone who sees the new BVG clip may be reminded of other viral videos, such as the Edeka advert “Supergirl” and the spot “Weil wir dich lieben” (Because we love you) published in early 2015. It shows that YouTube videos are becoming increasingly popular as an advertising measure, as setting up accounts is free and requires smaller budgets than TV advertisements.
Moving images that are accessed voluntarily have a much better penetration potential than the moving images presented in advertisements on TV shows or in the cinema. On the other hand, YouTube videos are not a sure-fire success and viral success is only possible if clips have appealing content and are strategically published in the right place on the Internet using a good seeding strategy.
The shitstorm was planned from the beginning
Both “I don’t care” and “Because we love you” show that viral video advertising should not only inspire viewers but also provoke them to a certain extent. When the BVG called on YouTube users to report what they liked about public transport, it was clear from the start that the majority of passengers did not only have positive things to say about Berlin’s buses and trains: posts about annoying bus drivers, missed connections and overcrowded S-Bahn trains.
The Berlin transport company had “of course planned for the shitstorm,” said BVG spokeswoman Petra Reetz: “If you ask someone in Berlin: ‘Am I beautiful?’, they’ll answer: ‘No, you’re not.'”
The ad with Kazim Akboga was also followed by some biting comments on Spiegel Online, YouTube, and Twitter. However, the majority of Internet users responded positively to the video: “I think the ad was really good. It made me smile without fail,” writes Spiegel reader s.juliane02. And Tobi1983 speculates on YouTube: “If I were a ticket inspector, I would hear that all the time.”