If you have not heard of Keenan Cahill or at least seen him on YouTube, you have been missing out big time. This kid is a social media sensation and was recently featured with rapper 50Cent on Chelsea Handler’s television show, Chelsea Lately. The videos normally consist of him standing in front of his bedroom webcam very passionately lip-syncing to hit songs. Keenan has almost 400,000 subscribers to his YouTube page and over 30 different self-uploaded videos topping a million views (two videos have over 30 million views each).
He recently teamed up with World Series Champions, San Francisco Giants Brian Wilson, Cody Ross, and mascot Lou Seal to do a viral video promoting their event: Dynamite: A Fundraiser for Keenan Cahill. The event will take place during and after the Giants’ May 25th game against the Florida Marlins (Click here to read more about the fundraiser).
Keenan at age one, was diagnosed with a rare genetic lysosomal storage disorder called MPS Type 6. After fighting through multiple surgeries, a bone marrow transplant, and medical isolation Keenan enrolled in high-school as a freshman and has captivated a nation with his original videos.
The Giants’ Dynamite video has had over a quarter of a million views in less than 24 hours, and should pave the way for non-profit organizations to use viral videos for fundraising help. Having a YouTube sensation and popular athletes in the video definitely helped its popularity, but the way they leveraged these talents into a short video for a great cause is what makes it so wonderful.
The Dynamite video should show businesses and brands that viral video can be silly and still be successful. But if message doesn’t enthrall your audience it will be hard to produce any ROI.
