In 2018, former NASA engineer Mark Rober went viral with his glitter bomb prank on package thieves. His creative solution to a common problem dominated the trending page. A year later, he went viral a second time with a follow-up video.
Here’s how this creator turned petty revenge into two viral videos.
He focused on a problem many viewers share.
According to Parcel Pending, the number of Americans who have had a package stolen is estimated to be a staggering twenty-three million. That’s a lot of presents going missing, especially during the holiday season.
In early 2018, Mark Rober found himself among the millions of Americans who have their packages stolen every year. Even though he had video evidence from his home surveillance cameras, the police told Mark it wasn’t worth their time. So, as those millions of Americans dreamed of doing, he took matters into his own hands.
He used his unique skill set to create a truly original video.
“Glitter bombs” are a fairly common joke gift. There are several companies that allow you to anonymously send an envelope of glitter to someone you want to prank. When they open it, glitter spills everywhere, leaving them with a sparkly but nearly impossible to clean mess.
Mark took this simple idea and took it to an entirely new level. As an engineer, he spent nine years designing technology for the Mars rover. So, he decided to use his engineering ingenuity to design a high-tech version of the glitter bomb that allowed him to record, track, and fart spray the victim as well.
He got viewers involved.
For the first video, Mark planted all the glitter bomb packages on his own. However, he wanted to expand his reach with the next round. For the second video, he recruited fans from across the country to help him.
Mark had viewers who were interested in planting one of his glitter bombs on their porch reach out via Twitter. He had them submit an application, and he even interviewed his most promising candidates. Then, he chose a few fans to help him and sent them glitter bomb packages to plant.
He focused on video quality over quantity.
Videos like Mark’s take months of preparations and planning to put together. They’re extremely technical, not just in their concepts, but in their style of filming as well. He takes months to make each video the best it can be. He even had the star of Home Alone join him for his second round of hijinks.
The quality of Mark’s videos helps them do so well. He could easily pump out weekly videos about simple projects, but they might not go so viral. By taking the time to put together the perfect video, he reaches the top of the trending page.
Little did Mark Rober’s package thieves know they were going to inspire not one, but two, viral videos. By using his talents and technical skills, Mark created something original yet relatable to millions of viewers.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
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