Published on: March 14, 2014
by Kevin CoupeFascinating story in the New York Times about a three-and-a-half minute video directed by Tatia Pilieva, that premiered on YouTube on Monday morning. By today, the video had been viewed some 45 million times. (That's not a typo. 45 million times.)
Entitled "First Kiss," the black-and-white video portrays 10 pairs of strangers kissing for the first time. The video was underwritten by Wren, a small clothing company, and some of the people in the video wore its clothes. "The video’s outrageous popularity had the web abuzz all week, with some industry experts suggesting that it could force major designers to think more expansively about how to advertise future collections," the New York Times writes, while noting that some people felt it was somehow duplicitous because it did not make it clear that a sponsor was involved. (It seems to me that the detractors are just looking for something to complain about, and that the designers who spend big bucks promoting collections indeed should think about whether a digital world offers challenges and opportunities.)
I have to say that I found the video to be utterly charming … and remarkably tender and candid as the strangers face each other for the first time, shyly interact, and then kiss, sometimes passionately and sometimes clumsily … and then have to face each other after the kiss. It didn't both me that the video was sponsored (somebody had to pay for the production, which apparently cost a whopping $1,300).
It also was totally original … and it says something about the power of originality that a video shown in social media can be seen 45 million times in less than a week.
"First Kiss" is worth a look, if you're interested, here. And see if it somehow doesn't remind you of a first kiss you shared with someone you ended up loving. (Or even just liking a lot.)
It's an Eye-Opener.
- KC's View: