The elderly man sits on his bed alone or at a table surrounded by others in a depressing retirement home. He gazes into space, thinking of his past glory as a marathon athlete. After rediscovering his well-worn Adidas training shoes, he suddenly tries to regain a sense of freedom by running again. But the nursing home staff cruelly blocks all his attempts and confiscates his shoes. After a while, his retirement friends help him recover them – and, with their bodies, prevent the staff from stopping him and killing his dream. The old man breaks free, runs away and raises his arms in a sign of elation.

This emotional “Adidas Break Free” ad has spread incredibly, reaching 9,8 million views on YouTube in just a few weeks. A huge success by all standards. But the interesting fact is, it’s not an Adidas campaign.

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The commercial that gained the top spot on Advertising Age’s Viral Video chart covering the week through Sunday is absolutely amazing. Featuring a stuffed bear couple arriving at Heathrow Airport after a flight, amid human actors, it could have easily turned kitsch. Instead, it is extremely delicate and tender, even moving. The fact is, its structure and form are the perfect recipe to get us involved.

According to Advertising Age’s brief article, this message had an incredible viral success, receiving more than 67 million views in just one week (see Heathrow Joins the Viral Video Chart with Unbearably Cute Bears’ Arrival by Rebecca Hia). What reasons may explain such an impact?

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Are you interested in brand and corporate storytelling? And do you love Italy? If the answer to both questions is yes – and if you are a student in search of a second level degree – you have now the chance to attend the Master in Storytelling at Pavia University, the first-ever course of this kind in Italy.

The precise name of the course is Master in Marketing Utilities and Storytelling Techniques (MUST) and the possibility to apply for the academic year starting in January 2017 is already open. Subjects include many marketing topics conceived to offer a solid basis for the study of a wide range of storytelling issues.

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A Chinese laundry detergent ad went viral last week, attracting a lot of criticism for its disgracefully racist storyline. Named by many “the most racist commercial of 2016”, it features a Chinese woman doing her washing. She is soon approached by a black man, with paint spread over his face and T-shirt.

He seems to be making some advances, but she responds by shoving him into the washing machine. He emerges after a few moments as a very clean, light-skinned Chinese man. She appears delighted, and the commercial ends with the payoff Change starts with Qiaobi.

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The recipe of viral is a bit of a mystery. Why is some branded content able to ignite viral wildfires? And why do many other attempts at going viral fail miserably? According to some authors, these questions have no answer. Viral in unpredictable, and it occurs accidentally. Which means that a brand cannot build content aimed at going viral in any reasonable way.

However, my study on Viral Stories produced results that are not consistent with this view. In fact, the qualitative analysis of about 40 brand videos which had a formidable viral dynamic leads to a strong hypothesis: behind any viral success there’s a good story. How good? Well, it has to include several of the 38 principles listed in the book’s last chapter as favouring a viral outcome. In other words, the secret of triggering a viral wave lies in the form and structure of a story – which implies that viral and storytelling are strictly connected.

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