Last week was the official release of Weird Al Yankovic’s latest release White and Nerdy. Though the video was leaked in late August 2006, in just a few short weeks the song has its own Wikipedia entry and the song title is ranked #19 in Word Tracker’s top 30 keyword searches. Weird Al himself ranks #27 on the list. This man of comedy ranks below Jenna Jameson who is #26 on the Word Tracker list. Way to go Al! (Yes, I had to be careful in my wording there!)
To say the White and Nerdy video is insanely popular. It’s posted on hundreds of thousands of pages across the internet. It’s even posted on my web site. Why? Because I’m White and Nerdy too!
Other than appealing to geeks, what is the key to the video’s popularity? Here’s my take:
- It’s adorable, cute and clever.
- It appeals to, even glorifies, those who shape the internet.(Finally, my HTML skills make me “cool!â€)
- It’s easy for those who aren’t shapers of the internet to share via the internet.
It’s also relevant. In case you weren’t listening to the radio in late 2005, the song that spawned the White and Nerdy parody (“Ridin'” by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone.) was more popular than dead air or static. Now, less than a year later, the driving hip-hop beat is back with a lighter, funnier flare.
See, Weird Al didn’t release a Parody of a song that was a couple of years old. He didn’t pick a song from the 80’s to parody. He picked a song released in 11.2005.
In addition to being relevant, White and Nerdy is clever, cute and fun. While Chamillionaire was rapping about the dark topic of racial profiling, Weird Al is rapping about Star Trek and pocket protectors and as a result, more people will hear Chamillionaire’s bouncy beat through the candy coating of Weird Al’s White and Nerdy.
Public Enemy (a pioneer rap group who were among the first to release mp3 albums) knew the importance of placing a “candy coating on a bitter pill message.†The group’s founder, Chuck D recruited Flavor Flav (the once minor celebrity turned reality television superstar) to add fun and excitement to the Public Enemy experience. According to a a television interview, Chuck D said he knew the subjects upon which he was rapping were very dark and depressing and Flavor Flav’s energy and humor helped Public Enemy’s message achieve a broader appeal.
Wow! From White and Nerdy to Public Enemy. Don’t try THAT at home kids!
This brings us to your marketing messages. How fun are they to watch or listen to or read? Are you delivering a bitter pill? Does it need a candy coating?
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