Early in February, 2011, Corning, Inc. uploaded a video called “A Day Made of Glass.” It is a spectacular look into the future possibilities of glass related technology. It is a more than a dream or science fiction; it is a vision for the future.  And it must be striking a chord, because it already has over 13.6 million views. And that is just on YouTube. The video is also available on a variety of other video sites.

For starters, no one can MAKE a video go viral. That’s part of the charm and power of a viral video. There are however a few basic rules. For a video to go viral, it MUST have at least these three things:
1. Interesting, amusing, or compelling content
2. Eye catching visuals, or ear-catching audio
3. People willing to share the video with their various contact lists

To be sure, there are a lot more ‘rules.’  The Corning video even breaks one about keeping it short, typically under 30 seconds to 3 minutes. But, because they have a very strong, compelling content, they still succeed. They also have a plan. By releasing and promoting this video on multiple video hosting sites, Corning has increased the probability of the video going viral.

Back in 1993-1994, AT&T produced a similar ad campaign showing their vision for the future. This ad campaign consisted of seven 30 second commercials and was called, “You Will.” And almost 20 years later, almost all of the products of the future are currently being used by us, the consumer on a daily basis. The only glaring idea that is not in general use today is the smart shopping cart. But that does not mean that businesses are not trying to get that one going too. It is very interesting comparing the two videos.

Corning’s A Day Made of Glass video is more than just a typical corporate video, commercial, or PR trick. It is a shared vision of where the technology of GLASS can take us. Our current ability to utilize the power of our computer is vastly limited with our current interface technology, the mouse. The mouse was invented in 1964 to work with the first Windows type of interface and it really hasn’t changed since then. Corning’s vision shows a new and better way to access the growing power of the computer.

The video was shot in six days (great blog here) and is a wonderful example taking your dream and creating a way to share it with others. Part of leadership is getting people to share your dream. With this video, Corning has taken a larger leadership role in shaping the technology of the future. I can’t wait to install it in my house.

What do you think of Corning’s video? Do you remember the AT&T commercials. What’s next?