Memes can make you money?

By Alison McCarthy

There’s Fatso the Keyboard Cat who played us off, Rick Astly and his infamous Rickrolling, Tay Zonday who brought us the smooth jams of “Chocolate Rain,” and David DeVore Jr. who innocently questioned “real life” in “David After Dentist.” Just to name a few, these characters in the ever-expanding cast of meme culture were originally brought to us in the form of viral videos, and all of these characters have turned their videos into lucrative businesses through selling licensing rights, merchandise, and ad space on their YouTube pages, in addition to making in-person appearances.

This past July, a new meme appeared, seemingly perfect for the hazy days of summer. Most of us are familiar with “Double Rainbow Guy,” aka Paul “Bear” Vasquez, and his  joyous reaction to the double rainbow in his Yosemite backyard. Filmed back in January, the video was tweeted by Jimmy Kimmel over July 4 weekend, and went viral within a few days.

While the image of the double rainbow Bear filmed and posted on his YouTube page is beautiful, what caught on among viewers was the pure ecstatic emotion and awe he expressed over the sight. His “woaaaahs,” his yelling, crying, and laughter, and the now internet-famous expressions “It’s almost a triple rainbow!” “Double rainbow all the way!” and “What does this mean?” are what made Double Rainbow go viral. It wasn’t the double rainbow that mattered so much as the true joy and wonder in Bear’s reaction to it.

Two months and over 15 million YouTube views later, Bear has been interviewed by CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Jimmy Kimmel, and Daniel Tosh, and his words have been parodied in a song by Neil Young and turned into dozens of remixes–and of course, there’s the inevitable Double Rainbow t-shirt. Bear, who lives on an organic farm in the wilderness of Yosemite and makes only $5,000 a year, has welcomed his new-found fame with open arms. And we’ve been happy for him.

Taking Bear’s fame to another level, Microsoft unveiled a new ad for Windows Live last week, starring Bear, a shiny, computer-enhanced double rainbow, and Windows’ panorama stitch feature.

So what does it mean?

Well, by looking at the majority of Internet comments, the reaction hasn’t been all too positive. Though most don’t blame Bear for cashing in at all, there are a few who scoff at Bear for “selling out.” But can we blame him?

There have also been a few who applaud Microsoft and their attempt at relevancy and humor, but while Microsoft’s choice of featuring Double Rainbow in the ad was a cute one, something seems a bit off here. The ad’s high production value, Bear’s now scripted and less enthusiastic reaction, and the endorsement of a product contrast with the purity and serendipity we all loved in the original video.

I do wonder though, what would our reaction be if the video were made by Apple instead of Microsoft?

Most agree that when it comes to digital creative production, Microsoft is probably not the best man for the job. And we can be very quick to judge Microsoft and Windows as a whole–it’s no secret we’re an Apple generation.

Either way, so much of why we love these videos is because of their randomness and improvisational aspects. Recreating these moments, especially when selling a product, looks very tricky.

Will we be seeing more integration between our viral video stars and product endorsements? And if so, will it be possible for advertising to get it right?