Marketng thingz behind the song' y This Kolavery..'

It’s the new rage in India. Written and sung by Dhanush (son-in-law of superstar Rajanikanth) with music composed by debutante Anirudh Ravichander, the song is the new anthem of the Indian youth. It was officially released on Nov 16, 2011 and became an instant hit on social networking sites. At the time of writing this post, it had received more than 16.2 million views on YouTube. And all this in just 20 days. The song uses ‘Tanglish’ (linguistic blend of Tamil and English) lyrics and literally translates into ‘Why this murderous rage, girl?’ The lyrics portray the feelings of an average Indian boy who has suffered heartbreak. The song is very ordinary in terms of lyrics as well as music. So then, what made this song which has been heavily criticized by stalwarts such as Javed Akhtar, go viral? The song, which was made as a promo for Dhanush’s upcoming film, 3, was first released on the Internet and then even managed a national appearance on MTV on Nov 24, 2011, the first for a Tamil song. So what makes this song tick? The lyrics are simple and funny and the music is catchy and addictive. There isn’t any pretence and the song touches on a subject closely identified with by today’s youth. But these aren’t necessarily unique characteristics. There have been many other songs in the past that were similar in nature but haven’t reached even close to the kind of adulation this song has received. In fact, this song has become so popular that at least twelve clones of this song have sprung up from different parts of the country which clearly indicates its national appeal despite the language barrier. While viral campaigns are not at all common in India, this is a first rate example of the sheer power and reach that this new marketing technique holds. There are a lot of things that go viral today. However, most of these are not managed but simply take off and then acquire a life of their own. Even in the case of Kolaveri Di, while people have gone so far as to call it India’s first viral marketing campaign, I’m not sure whether even the team that was behind this phenomenon knew that it would spread this quickly. An Internet release alone doesn’t guarantee anything. Nor do the other components such as simplicity, catchiness or the entertainment factor. So what helps then? The influencers propelled by the interconnected nature of social media. For instance, Amitabh Bachchan tweeted about the song as did other celebrities. Even influencers within smaller groups can ignite the spark. And then, it spreads like a virus, reaching other influencers, taking on a life of its own as it zooms through networks and multiplies exponentially.