April the Giraffe and Toys ‘R’ Us Set YouTube on Fire

There are opportunities that come out of the blue for brand marketers that are so unexpected they could stop a novice in their tracks. But for brands that capitalize on such fleeting moments, these golden marketing gifts can rack up big-time brand awareness.

So it is for Toys ‘R’ Us. The brand has jumped on the long awaited birth of a giraffe. April the giraffe is in her 15th month of gestation and should be giving birth anytime now. Animal Adventure Park is streaming her activities live on “Giraffe Cam” on YouTube. We are all waiting … and waiting … and waiting … to watch the main event.

Geoffrey the Giraffe, of course, is the Toys ‘R’ Us mascot, and he can now be seen sticking his neck through the brand’s logo at the bottom of the screen as if he were just another of the 250,000 people viewing the scene at any given time. Toys ‘R’ Us jumped in several weeks ago to sponsor the big event, which could happen at any moment, giving the brand unlimited exposure. The YouTube channel now records close to 14.5 million total views.

We’ve seen this type of opportunity arise for brands plenty of times before. Remember when former President Barack Obama mentioned that Republicans were standing around sippin’ on Slurpees? Within 48 hours of Obama’s press conference, 7-Eleven had a new flavor—Purple for the People (red + blue = harmony)—and a campaign to go with it. Slurpee had captured the American zeitgeist; social media fanned the flame.

Then there was the time when the owners of racehorse California Chrome threatened to withdraw the horse from the Belmont Stakes if it wasn’t allowed to wear his equine nasal strips for his run for the Triple Crown. Breathe Right Strips grabbed the reins. And, there’s Allstate. Some 43 years after a woman’s brand new Corvette Stingray was stolen Allstate helped her get her car back and became a social media sensation.

So while we’re all waiting on April to deliver her new calf, keep an eye peeled for the next fleeting moment your brand can capitalize on. Read the article …