The Week's Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons - Galaxy Nexus Edition

I have a new crush, and it's on the Galaxy Nexus phone. The true Google device, which has the latest Android version, Ice Cream Sandwich, installed, is rumored to be released within the next couple weeks. It boasts a giant screen, fast processor, no shutter lag, and a host of other features that appeal to me. But enough with all that... you don't care that I want to buy the phone. You might care, however, about the new Google online video ad promoting the phone, which is the most Apple-like ad I've ever seen from Google.

Of course, there were dozens of great viral videos this week beyond those related to mobile devices, and a great many of them hold their own valuable lessons for video marketers looking to improve their craft. Let's get to this week's clips. Standouts Of The Week A new category this week, the Standouts section will allow me to hand pick my favorite clips from across all categories.

Trailers

After writing this column for over two years, some trends have emerged in the viral video landscape. For instance, there are trailers from big brands every week that go viral, whether for video games, television shows, and movies. And this week was no exception--in fact, there might more more trailers with viral-level activity this week than ever before.

Last week we saw the trailer for the Kristen Stewart Snow White film, Snow White & The Huntsman. This week we have the trailer for the other Hollywood Snow White film. This one stars Julia Roberts (doing a terrible accent) and is called Mirror Mirror:

Robert Dinero is a powerhouse actor, with a list of film credits that any other actor would envy. And his next credit is a more intimate type of drama than the gangster fare the actor usually embraces. It's from the maker of About A Boy, and appears to be a similar film in style and tone. Check it out:

As Breaking Dawn finally opens in theaters this week, the "next Twilight" has its first full length trailer. It's The Hunger Games, which set tongues to wagging this week:

Todd Phillips, the creator of Road Trip and The Hangover, turns to the world of bad teenage behavior for his next film, Project X (which I'm guessing will not co-star Matthew Broderick and some chimps):

Pixar has a built-in mega audience for anything they put out. That tends to happen when nearly all your movies are blockbusters at the box office and critical darlings. Their big summer 2012 film, Brave, finally has a full trailer, and it looks fantastic (as usual):

So many trailers this week--must be that Holiday Season everyone keeps talking about. Did you see Coraline a few years back? If so, it probably reminded you of Nightmare Before Christmas (one of my favorite films). And now, the Coraline people are back with a new adventure, called ParaNorman:

That Just Happened

Sometimes, man on the street video is the very best... eyewitness video of amazing events or occurances can amaze viewers and catch fire almost instantly.

If you know what a "true Daily Double" is on Jeopardy, then you'll surely be impressed with this guy's feat because he goes for two of them back to back:

This poor girl in our next video can't actually be this confused, right? Most sober people know which way the escalator is moving. I don't know, maybe she's just really sheltered:

Want to see one of the most insane and tremendous kick returns a football fan is likely to see all year? Sure you do:

Grab Bag

Just because some videos don't cooperate with my categorization system doesn't mean we should ignore the possible lessons they can teach us or their innate entertainment value.

College Humor, for instance, put out a hilarious Siri spoof this week, but it doesn't really pair well with any of my other selections this week. So it goes in the grab bag. Oh... some language in there, which you probably guessed as soon as I said the words "College Humor."

24 Hours in Dubai is what most time lapse videos of cityscapes only wish they could be:

After watching this next amazing video, my Christmas list consists of two things: a remote-controlled helicopter and a Go Pro camera:

At a recent charity event--specifically the "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinsons" event in NYC--Michael J. Fox, perhaps the biggest champion for Parkinsons research funding and a Parkinsons sufferer, got up on stage and recreated a little moment of movie magic for those in attendance. Judging by the number of cell phone cameras visible in the video, the crowd ate it up:

The Force supercut takes every utterance of the phrase "the force" in the Star Wars films and cuts them all together in one easy-to-digest little video.

One of the most incredible videos I've ever seen is this week's Earth, from Vimeo user Michael Konig. It's a time lapse flyover view of the earth from Space. I highly encourage you to watch all five minutes... it's entirely worth it.

Need a good babysitter? Notorious B.I.G. seems to be a hit with the toddlers these days... at least the one in this adorable and hilarious video:

Branded Social Videos

Remember that Google Galaxy Nexus I told you about earlier? Here's the ad the company put online this week for the device--notice how Apple-like the emphasis is on everyday people using the device in everyday situations:

The Red Wing Shoe company is taking a page from DC Shoes and turning to original entertainment content online. Their YouTube channel isn't even a year old yet, but they've been steadily cranking out great documentary-style content like this week's Crazy Horse Monument - Five Against The Mountain:

The list of things I wouldn't want William Shatner to do does, in fact, include "deep fry a turkey." And yet, State Farm Insurance decided to have him do it anyway:

In her relatively short career, Britney Spears has already made a number of confusing and questionable decisions. The latest is to create a stripper-themed music video for Marilyn Manson's Sweet Dreams (you can read it again if you like, but it won't make any more sense the second time through, nor when you watch the actual video):

Weird Cats

I've consciously tried to avoid putting too many cat videos in these round ups the last few months, ever since my rant about how much more YouTube is than just a place for cat videos--don't want to add to the misconception any more than I have to. But while YouTube has certainly risen above that early label, cat videos do continue to be a powerful draw online. As evidenced by another handful of viral kitties this week.

Like the phone-answering cat:

Or the cat attacker from under the bed:

I'm not sure what's going on with these cats, but I know one of them has moves I've never seen before on a feline:

Honorable Mention

• Two of the web's most beloved beat-boxers... together in one video. 
• The Damien Walters Showreel is pretty fun, and impressive.
• Slow-motion video and auto-sports just go hand in hand, don't they?
• This TED talk is from a 6th grader, who seems to be a better public speaker than 99% of all adults.
• Have you seen this "true" 3D display?