A toddler in a Darth Vader suit versus limber-limbed Colombian songstress Shakira? Little Darth goes down. According to Unruly’s ranking of most shared videos, Shakira’s “trackvertisement” for Activia that anchored the yogurt brand’s World Cup campaign is now the most shared video of all time. “La La La (Brazil 2014)”—which promotes the World Food Programme—has racked up 5.37 million shares to the 5.12 million for the former record-holder, ‘The Force.’ Volkswagen’s 2011 Super Bowl ad had held the title for more than three years.
“This is a really big deal,” says Devra Prywes, VP of marketing and insight at Unruly, which sponsors the Viral Video Chart. Activia bested Volkswagen’s total in a mere two months.
High-share videos tend to do one of two things well: tug the heartstrings or make people laugh, and “The Force” managed both. But “La La La” combined two equally shareable quantities—celebrity and music—to claim fame as most-shared. Shakira recently became the first person to reach 100 million Facebook shares.
“Music videos are the most shared content, and the Activia video is a hybrid of an ad and a music video,” says Prywes. “If you’re tracking percentages between these ‘trackvertisements’—which are becoming very popular—and music videos, the social diffusion curve looks very similar. They share high at every level.”
Augmenting Activia’s triumph was good timing, essential in that highly shared videos ride peaks associated with popular events. On the strength of Shakira’s popularity, “La La La” got its biggest spike in shares (see chart below) upon its release three weeks prior to the Cup opening ceremony, after which it received another substantial spike. Another spike came in mid-June when rumors began circulating that Shakira was pregnant. “If Shakira has a baby, it will spike again,” predicts Prywes.
“Reaching more than 250 million views and becoming the most shared ad of all time in just two months is incredible,” remarked Activia’s global marketing director Nicolas Frerejean, when informed of the milestone by Unruly last week. The video has since expanded to more than 330 million views. “Partnering with Shakira to support the School Meals initiative is a great fit between Activia’s beliefs in good nutrition for all and the engagement that Shakira has demonstrated for a long time to support access for every child to quality education.”
