The latest craze of the Internet is viral satire, which presents
viewers with video clip parodies poking fun at crucial, current
events. For example, JibJab Media concocted a musical mockery of
the 2004 presidential race titled, This Land. JibJab Media is just
one of the many organizations who have begun creating videos in
hopes of being entertaining enough to stand out among a sea of other
marketing messages. Organizations joining the club include:
- Burger King
- Greenpeace
- Georgia-Pacific
One of the most interesting and relevant video clips posted was
by the 69-year-old publisher of Consumer Reports, Consumers Union.
Their online musical cartoon, The
Drugs I Need, is a hilarious, yet undeniably truthful, lampoon
of prescription drug marketing. The director of prescriptionforchange.org,
a Consumer Union project that focuses on issues like drug safety,
explained that the purpose behind The
Drugs I Need is to send the message beyond the typical stale
research reports and service the people who don't necessarily have
the time in their busy schedules to wade through a lengthy document.
What really makes the video a success, though, is the lyrics, which
gleefully describe all the various side effects of a multitude of
multi-colored pills: " ... agitation, palpitations, excessive
salivation, constipation, male lactation, rust-colored urination,
hallucinations, bad vibrations, mild electric shock sensations ...
" Animation Farm is responsible for the video's creative and
colorful visuals.
While animated farces are popular at this moment, a future decline
is certainly a possibility. In fact, the founder of JibJab Media
claims that before long, many viral efforts will fall flat, and
only the best ones will survive.
New
York Times March 13, 2005
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