Let’s be real—everyone wants their ad to go viral, right? But most of the advice out there feels a little too “by the book.” Make it emotional. Hook them in the first three seconds. Use bold text. Yeah, yeah. We’ve all heard it.
But here’s what no one really says: the real reason ads go viral is because they hit at the right time, in the right way, and they just get people.
I’ve worked on campaigns that had everything—clean visuals, catchy headlines, perfect targeting. And… nothing. Then something totally unplanned, thrown together in a few hours, suddenly takes off. And it’s like, what just happened?
It comes down to one thing: context.
Viral ads aren’t just “creative.” They connect. They tap into whatever’s already going on in people’s heads or feeds at that moment. A mood, a meme, a cultural shift, a shared frustration. When your ad feels like part of that convo—like something someone would actually say or share—it stops being an ad. It becomes a moment.
And here’s the twist: imperfection is part of the charm.
We’re past the era of polished, perfect ads. People scroll past that stuff. But something that feels real, raw, maybe even a little scrappy? That gets attention. Because it feels like it wasn’t trying too hard. It feels human. Like something you’d drop into a group chat with “this is so us.”
That’s what makes people stop, react, and share.
So yeah, great creative helps. Smart media buying helps. But the magic happens when the timing, tone, and truth all line up. And honestly? That’s not something you can force. You just have to understand your audience so well that you know what would make them feel seen.
That’s the part no one puts in the playbooks.
But it’s what makes all the difference.
