“The Institute for Backup Trauma” viral video campaign, starring John Cleese
When LiveVault needed to promote their new disk-based backup system for corporate data, they knew that traditional media would not cut through the clutter and allow them to reach their audience of IT professionals. Independent marketing consultant Jeff Weiner asked Captains, along with our sister company Thunder Sky Pictures, to create a viral web video starring John Cleese that would grab the attention of IT managers. As thrilled as we were to work with a Monty Python legend, we knew that the LiveVault campaign needed to consist of more than a video – and that’s when the BIG IDEA happened.
Together with our partners, Captains created an integrated campaign that included “The Institute for Back-Up Trauma” web video featuring Dr. Harold Twain Weck (John Cleese), as well as a virtual institute that viewers could explore. The film tells the story of hapless IT managers that suffer from Back-Up Trauma – a psychosis that takes hold when out-of-date tape-based backup systems fail.
The campaign quickly went viral, as literally hundreds of websites and blogs created links to the LiveVault site. LiveVault saw a 20% click-through rate on its e-mail blasts. Over 1,000,000 people watched “The Institute for Back-Up Trauma.” LiveVault saw a ten-fold increase in their site traffic, experienced a 500% increase in sales leads, and watched their sales double. Talk about marketing ROI.
Before the launch of the campaign, Googling the words ‘Back-Up Trauma’ brought up only a few random hospital links. Today the term brings up literally hundreds of thousands of links from around the globe. This demonstrates why good web content is the centerpiece of organic search engine optimization.