Down to the Details

By now you should have seen the Lunatic Fringe 2024 Teaser video as well as the Lunatic Fringe 2024 WIP version that we are going to finish up together.

In the video to the left, I go through the full WIP video and describe exactly how I see the project evolving. In the process, I also show the various files and folders we’ll be using on Google Workspaces to coordinate on the project.

That should give you a very clear picture of what we are trying to accomplish in terms of the video itself. 

Now let’s talk about the strategic plans for this video and how we can accomplish them.

Foundation: An Epic Rock Anthem

How to you get a music video to go viral? There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the process, but here are my thoughts about how it ought to work.

We start with a revered rock-and-roll anthem that is as important and relevant today as it ever was, and just as fun to listen to. It’s a song that will bring back memories for folks of the older generations, and a new discovery for the younger generation — one that reminds us all that the battle between oppressors and the oppressed is never over, but there are pivotal moments in life when it’s time for those on the side of goodness and the collective whole to stand up and take action.

With an iconic song like Lunatic Fringe as the foundation of our project, we are off to a good start. Let’s see where we take it from there.

Endless Video Content

Once the Lunatic Fringe 2024 video is complete, it will include over 300 video clips of popular and/or recognizable people pulled from Youtube videos. As the situation evolves and people engage with and respond to the videos, feedback will inevitably lead to the creation of spin-off versions of the video, with different sets of characters, different themes, or even different covers of the song. The original video could spawn a virtually endless stream of variations, all hosted on Youtube. 

One tactic for gaining visibility on Youtube could be to launch a campaign to put comments in the videos with clips included in LF24 about the fact that they are in the video. This not only creates lots of links to our videos, but also reinforces the idea that it is noteworthy for a video to be included in this viral sensation.

Work the Angles

Let’s face it; this video is going to be controversial. The overt conflict is in your face. From the very beginning and right through to the end, the video draws a bright line between light and dark, and places individuals clearly on one side or the other. Lots of people are going to hate this video. Many of people will love it. 

The social network algorithms will certainly love it, because people are drawn to the conflict like moths to a flame. Let’s work with that fact to lead some of them to the light. 

Some of the angles we have to work with to engage viewers include: 

• The Hitler-Putin-Trump Axis clearly implied in the first segment of the song is guaranteed to attract attention
• Each individual depicted in MAGA crowd is an opportunity to elicit a response that adds to volume
• Why did person X get in the video but not person Y? More controversy!
• The project is crowdsourced and managed by an anonymous creator represented by a digital avatar. The intrigue and mystery will be irresistible to MAGA conspiracy theorists.
• Crowdfunded project giving 20% of proceeds to charities
• Going directly at the MAGA crowd by advertising on Truth Social will be an in-your-face move guaranteed to raise the ire of most users of the platform — but one they can’t do anything about due to their support of free speech.

Flood Mainstream Social Media

With virtually limitless crowd-generated content, we have all the fuel we need to flood the social media networks like X and Facebook. Organic engagement can be initially stimulated through artificial means until genuine interest takes over. Given the above sticky features, this shouldn’t take long. 

We can run paid campaigns on these networks, which are relatively affordable these days, to extend the reach of the exposure. 

There is no need for extensive advertising material. The simple Lunatic Fringe 2024 logo, both in horizontal and square formats, along with the url www. lunaticfringe2024.com is all we need for visual ads. In fact, it makes sense to keep them always the same and not use any variations, in order to ensure maximum awareness.

These ad campaigns can be targeted at groups based on their likely political leanings, with verbiage designed to motivate people based on those inclinations.  

Expand to Wider Social Media 

The social engagement spawned in mainstream social media via paid ads and organic strategies will be pushed to spill over into every significant social media platform where people are discussing or creating content around politics, society, and the future, including TikTok, Reddit, Quora, Medium, Substack, and countless other societies. 

As funds are available, we can do paid campaigns on these networks as well in order to prime visibility and engagement there. 

Also depending on funds, we can establish incentive programs to encourage participants on these platforms to share the video. 

Virality feeds on itself — once people perceive something has gained the focus of society collectively, they tune in. Ultimately, the objective is to get as wide coverage as possible to give the impression of the viral effect until collective consciousness reaches a critical mass and the video legitimately goes viral. 

Enter the Belly of the Beast

One potential catalyst for massively increasing awareness will be launching an advertising campaign on Truth Social. These ads will not be explicit in their verbiage. They will simply feature the Lunatic Fringe 2024 logo with a link to the lunaticfringe.com where people can watch the videos. 

The commentary will be primed by the MAGA opponents on Truth Social, and then responded to by the MAGA supporters chiming in to protest the video’s direct comparison of Trump to Hitler and overall depiction of MAGA. Articles on the Lunatic Fringe 2024 blog will expand on the various comments to further inflame the controversy. 

Theoretically, all this activity could result in the prime factor in virality — being picked up by the Main Stream Media.

Go Mainstream (as in MSM)

The breakthrough moment for this project will come when the Mainstream Media (including Fox News) picks up on the story. This should be a real possibility considering that individuals from the MSM will be featured in the video, both positively and negatively. 

A concerted PR campaign to push the various angles addressed above to the MSM is bound to gain some coverage, which could lead to a chain reaction of increased awareness.

At this point, the video could morph into a viral sensation within a matter of days, similar to ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’. 

Funded through Patreon

The first round of funding to develop the video and promote it is coming from the original creator, known as Loony Tu. Those funds are limited, however, so a key objective of the promotion is to raise funds from patrons through Patreon.

30% of all funds raised through Patreon will go to pay contractors for ongoing work on the project. Theoretically, the promotion will lead to more Patreon support to fund still more promotion, and the project will become self-sustaining.