😂 The power of social media today!
Drake's 'In My Feelings' shows how fans and viral dance challenges can turn a song into a worldwide hit through social media.
Pedro Martins2 min readBefore social media existed, the music industry would produce an album, pick a few singles and promote it based on the songs it expected to be hits. Those songs would end up being all we heard on the radio and in clubs or bars.
In 2018, things no longer work that way: fans collectively choose the song of the summer. That means even a song that starts out unknown can become a huge media sensation.
Drake's latest hit, 'In My Feelings', is only a hit because comedian Shiggy posted a video on Twitter of himself dancing to its opening bars. Without this, millions of people around the world would not be asking "Keke, do you love me?"
Have you seen people dancing in traffic?
It is true: these images travelled around the globe and made the song so viral that there are now challenges where people get out of moving cars to dance in traffic. The Keke Challenge is everywhere, everyone is doing it, and it has already prompted the authorities to call for it to stop, for obvious safety reasons.
In response, Drake has publicly thanked Shiggy for making his song number one last month.
On Thursday, the Canadian rapper released the official video for 'In My Feelings', in which Shiggy gets more than a thank-you: he is credited for the song's success in front of millions of fans. During the video, we see the comedian performing his trademark dance moves while Drake does the same with dancers. Later on, Shiggy plays the singer's assistant.
"I had a crazy dream," the musician says. "A kid from New York did a dance, the whole world did it too, and Will Smith was there. And it doesn't stop!" The official music video ends with a compilation of some of the most memorable challenges, a kind of thank-you to everyone who made the song a worldwide hit.
In Portugal, the video is second on YouTube's trending list and has already reached more than 23 million views in under 48 hours.
As internet users, we know people play a very important role in creating and spreading trends. Any joke, video or image can take off and become a viral phenomenon. The question is: how can brands make the most of this?
Understanding how social media works, and its enormous power today, is essential for success online. Often, as in this case, it can happen spontaneously. But many planned campaigns also succeed and deliver a return for their creators.
