Companies such as Kodak, Trojan and Ford are a few of the initiators of this new trend. Humor, wit, and creativity, combined with the randomness of "word of mouth" distribution, causes huge numbers of people to distribute a video among friends, co-workers, colleagues and reach masses of random users that are exposed to a video which promotes a brand. Small companies have found that viral videos can provide a tremendous "bang for the buck" in many cases.

Ikea announced a contest with a prize for the most innovative video for making a bed. On the same note, Coke, who rejected any involvement related to the creativity of two individuals who created "The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment", rethought its move and decided to capitalize on the video's popularity with a YouTube contest. Coke turned Coke.com into its own site for consumer-generated media.

Geriatric1927, one of the most subscribed YouTube members, is an 80-year-old pensioner from England who gained widespread recognition within a week of making his debut on the site. For these users, the Internet fame has had various unexpected effects. By way of example, YouTube user and former receptionist Brooke Brodack from Massachusetts has been signed by NBC's Carson Daly for an 18-month development contract.[3] Another has been the uncovered fictional blog of lonelygirl15, now discovered to be the work of New Zealand actress Jessica Rose and some film directors.

Viral video has become a way for people to air their grievances in instances of alleged abuses of authority. For example, in 2006, a courtroom video of Utah Third District Court judge Leslie A. Lewis spread rapidly through Utah and was picked up by the news media. The video showed her finding a courtroom spectator in contempt of court and arresting him because he left the courtroom while the judge expressed her displeasure at his brother's hunting activities. The judge recused herself from the case due to her professed bias against deer hunters. Leslie lost her retention vote in the 2006 election.