A (Social Media) Star Is Born
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 by Mark Hanson 
No, not Obama! We and others have discussed that one to death:)
Alison Gow has done an excellent post about a lad called Darren Farley, a scouser who does fantastic impressions of Liverpool FC players and a brilliant one of their manager, Rafa Benitez.
Its a bog-standard video of a few impressions filmed on his mate’s camera in what looks like the stockroom of his local Spar. But its got over 600,000 views in a week, with mainstream media chasing him for interviews.
So why does something so like this go into orbit almost overnight whilst high production fims created by trendy London creative agencies often completely bomb?
Some basic principles apply on the web and apply royally to this example
- He’s filling a gap in the market - I’m sure loads of impressionists can do Rafa Benitez but I don’t hear them doing it?
- There’s a sizeable community in that niche i.e. Liverpool FC fans, they’re one of the best supported clubs in the world and have active online networks
- Humour relating to the kinds of things they talk about in the pub is exactly the kind of things that young males like to share with each other
- He’s one of them, he feels like part of the community - something very hard for a brand to achieve
Really looking forward to seeing where he ends up and whether he perfects any Everton players!
