5 lessons from the most viral video ever

The day the video launched, it seemed nearly everyone was posting it on every social media platform. In just one week, the video reached more than 100 million views on YouTube and Vimeo combined. It is now the fastest growing video of all time.

The video sparked intense political debate but, whether you agree or disagree with the message, no one can argue the campaign’s marketing is anything but successful.

To help those who want to tell stories on social media, we spoke with Pat Walsh, co-founder and CMO of StayClassy.org, the social fundraising platform behind Invisible Children.

Here are five lessons brands can take away from Invisible Children’s monumental social media campaign:

1. Stories matter.

The success of the KONY 2012 video sparked significant criticism, but there’s no questioning the primary lesson from Invisible Children’s experiment in social activism: Everyone, like every brand, has a story. Those who tell it best, win.