Five Lessons from Atomic Tom and Viral Video

Already over 1.5 million people have seen Brooklyn band Atomic Tom's you tube video for their latest song, 'Take Me Out.' If you haven't seen it yet, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAllFWSl998

The video was shot on the subway in New York, by the younger brother and friends of the band on their iphones. The band plays the song while sitting in subway seats using their iphone instrument apps -- piano, microphone, bass, guitar and drums. They sound and video quality are fabulous. The song is catchy, but it's the idea and the execution of it. Word is spreading fast. People are sending it to friends. You will probably do the same after you see it.

If we analyze the elements, there's much to learn from this example to apply to our own work.

1. They had a great idea: Not just recording with the iphone apps, but playing on the subway and recording it on iphone cameras.

2. They executed the idea well: It's not enough to have an idea, you have to try to implement it. If they hadn't shot the video and edited it so well, the fact that they used itunes apps wouldn't be enough.

3. They were willing to try something different. Conventional videos hadn't helped the career of Atomic Tom (how many of you heard of them before this) so they were willing to try something unconventional.

4. They were ready to take advantage of their opportunity. had spent a great deal of time polishing their musical skills. Because they were accomplished musicians they made the best use of the iphone apps. They practiced for years so they would be ready for the opportunity when it came.

5. They weren't afraid to look ridiculous. They certainly thought they had something unusual and different, but the band had no idea if people would like it or not. They put it out on the web anyway.

How many of these lessons are you applying to your project? The band created a popular video success for a fraction of what it would cost a major media company. They didn't get paid directly, but the payoff will come in acclaim, tours, and downloads of their music. They had no money to pay a professional company to shoot their video, and used their creativity to make up for that.

Don't own an iphone? There are plenty of other phones, webcams, and reasonably priced HD cameras out there. What are you waiting for?