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Breaking the Rules of Viral Videos

(Doremus Creates YouTube Phenomenon for Corning)
“A Day Made Of Glass” gets more hits than any corporate video in history.

April 1, 2011

San Francisco‚ April 1‚ 2011: Doremus, the business communications specialist, recently created a corporate vision video for Corning Incorporated entitled “A Day Made Of Glass.” It portrays a family in the not-too-distant future, incorporating a host of technological breakthroughs, made possible thanks to varieties of modern glass enhancing their daily lives. Within only four weeks on YouTube, the film has registered over 11 million views (and growing) and has become the most watched corporate video of all time.

How did this happen?
“A Day Made Of Glass” was originally created, based on Corning’s vision for the future, to stimulate imagination among their key stakeholders about the possibilities of glass. The film is taking the viral world by storm. Thanks to a deep understanding of materials technology and an ability to excite people about the potential it holds for their futures, the film presents an engaging story that strikes the right balance between the rational and emotional – portraying a world that people want to share with others. Web visitors around the world are reveling in Corning’s vision for the future.

The film previewed at Corning’s Investor Day in NYC on February 4, 2011. It was then made available publicly on Corning’s web site and YouTube on February 7th – from there, it went viral, thanks in part to its pick up in Android forums, and then to discussions on Wired, Gizmodo, and Awesomer.

By March 7th, according to the site Unruly Media, the piece occupied the #1 position in the “Viral Videos Chart.” Of the 17,000+ viewers who’ve rated it, over 97% gave it a thumbs up.

“A Day Made Of Glass” resonates with audiences on several levels. It depicts dad, mom, two school-aged daughters and grandma as they go through their day, from home to car to work and beyond, using the futuristic technologies that create a seamless and easier lifestyle…all made “real” thanks to the vision of Corning glass and its scientists.

How “A Day Made Of Glass” is breaking the rules.
“A Day Made Of Glass” is unlike any other viral success story.

•	It is not short (it’s 6 minutes long).
•	It is not funny.
•	It did not air on the Super Bowl, the Oscars, or Saturday Night Live.
•	It doesn’t rely on pre-existing content.
•	It’s not a song.
•	It’s not a goofy animation.
•	It doesn’t encourage you to “put yourself in it” or send it around like a greeting card.
•	It wasn’t seeded through the late night talk show circuit.

“Like all good films,” said John Mannion, Doremus Director of Client Relations, “‘A Day Made Of Glass’ tells a good story. It takes complex materials science ideas like damage-resistance, flexibility, formability, touch and photo sensitivity, and others – and converts them into a compelling, visually beautiful, technologically exciting look at the glass innovations that will affect our lives in the future. And the future is not that far off. Many of these technologies are ready for application.”

“We didn’t ask Doremus to create a YouTube sensation,” said Dan Collins, Division Vice President of Corning Corporate Communications. “We just asked them to collaborate with us to articulate our company vision via a film that showed Corning’s application of glass in the future. We had no idea it would become this big. It's a very rewarding feeling to know we hit on something with the general public…something they like enough to want to share with friends and family.”

About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.

Doremus is a specialist in a world of generalists. With offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Frankfurt and Hong Kong, it specializes in business communications, helping companies align their communications with their business objectives. It does this by leveraging a unique understanding of the complexity of their industries and audiences, and translating that into compelling business-building solutions. Doremus is part of the Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC), a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company.

Doremus is a part of the Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC). Omnicom is a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, interactive, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

 
Doremus 200 Varick Street‚ New York‚ New York 10014‚ 212.366.3000
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Marianne Flatley‚ Public Relations Director‚ Doremus‚ 212.366.3682 (mflatley@doremus.com)

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