Biz Bits

Cap-toe oxfords — distinguished by the separate leather portion at the tip of the shoe—may be less formal than their plain-toe counterparts, but they’re just as sleek. Go ahead, try a pair on for size.

Cole Haan Air Donovan $225 - www.colehaan.com
Santoni Jadwin $575 - www.santonishoesusa.com
Allen-Edmonds Soho $350 - www.allenedmonds.com
Bostonian Andover $115 - www.bostonianshoe.com

WORD OF MOUSE

The latest trend in advertising is getting people to watch— and talk about—online videos. Here’s how to make it happen.

Viral marketing sounds a little scary. Aside from the diseases its name alludes to, there’s an enigmatic quality to it: How do successful campaigns build up buzz? Do you just post a video online and hope for the best? The answer to the second question, in short, is no. Don’t go it alone: Feed Company, Arnold Worldwide and Digitas are among a growing number of digital marketing companies that spread viral videos through media such as YouTube and Face-book—sometimes garnering a new audience for existing television commercials. First, however, you need a good video. “It doesn’t even have to be funny,” says Abby Klaassen, digital editor of Advertising Age magazine. “It has to be entertaining.” That’s evident in three campaigns she cites as the best:

Smirnoff “Tea Partay”

WHAT IT IS: A music video spoof, featuring New England prepsters rapping about Smirnoff Raw Tea, an alcoholic malt drink.

WHY IT WORKS: “That particular one was so subtle you could almost miss the branding in it, but it was there,” Klaassen says. “And it was cheeky, and it was smart, and I think it really resonated with the type of audience they were looking to reach, which were, I’d say… people in their 20s.”

Kobe Bryant for Nike’s Hyperdunk

WHAT IT IS: LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant leaps over a speeding Aston Martin, wearing Hyperdunk sneakers.

WHY IT WORKS: “That ad was obviously fake,” Klaassen says, “and it got some people at the beginning. They thought it was real—or they just assumed it was—and it started a discussion. That’s [the real] trick to viral marketing, getting people to talk about it.”

Cadbury “Gorilla”

WHAT IT IS: A gorilla sits behind a drum set listening to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and then starts drumming. It won first place for best food and drink advertisement at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival this year.

WHY IT WORKS: “It’s just so offbeat,” Klaassen says. “It really got people talking, you know, ‘Is that a real gorilla? Is it a guy in a gorilla suit? I don’t get it. What’s this ad supposed to mean?’… It really kicked off a discussion, and that got people talking about [the ad]. A big measure of success for any of these things is really the PR factor and the buzz you can build around it.”

CARTOON NETWORKING

Forget the Forbes 500 list.

These “businessmen” made it onto “The Forbes Fictional 15,” an annual compilation of fiction’s richest.

SCROOGE McDUCK
“Ducktails”
JOB: Mining and Treasure Hunting
AGE: 80
EDUCATION: Cluck U, dropout
NET WORTH: $28.8 billion

RICHIE RICH
“Richie Rich”
JOB: Heir and Philanthropist
AGE: 10
EDUCATION: Richville Elementary
NET WORTH: $17 billion

C. MONTGOMERY BURNS
“The Simpsons”
JOB: Owner and Operator of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
AGE: 104
EDUCATION: Yale University, B.S.
NET WORTH: $8.4 billion