It is hard to predict which videos will become an internet hit. Many marketers try to develop videos they think will go viral – and focus a lot of time on the quality of the video. However, oftentimes the videos that go viral are not those with the slickest production quality, but the ones with the most compelling content. Possibly in reaction, some companies are creating video with less than perfect video quality – to appear less marketing driven and more as guerrilla content.

GeekWire recently highlighted a video from Microsoft, “Microsoft’s Windows 8 demo video is a low-budget hit,” where product value was not a priority. The video provides an early look at Windows 8. While the quality is not the polished advertising videos we have come to expect from Microsoft, it is clearly not a guerrilla behind-the-scenes video either. Feeding pent up interest in learning about Windows 8, the video comes across as more authentic (less marketing driven) due to the lower production quality. The video has been viewed more than four million times on YouTube alone.

As PR professionals we want to provide media with a variety of elements to complement a story idea. Video can be extremely helpful in helping to tell the story. That said, the quality of the video can be a factor – especially if we are working with broadcast media. Therefore it is important to consider your objectives, your target audience and the target media for the specific story as you outline development of video content. While a tech blogger may be willing to include a video with lower quality audio, a television producer will evaluate the quality through a different lens.

A study last year from Rice University’s Department of Psychology illustrates that if viewers like what they are watching, they are “less likely to notice the difference in video quality of the TV show, Internet video or mobile movie clip.” ReelSEO’s Jeremy Scott provides additional guidance based on the research results, “It doesn’t mean you can abandon your pursuit of good quality in your videos. Not for a second. If the audio is poor enough that the audience can’t understand your actors, then the content doesn’t matter in the least. You’ve got to pay attention to both the creative and technical side of video production if you want to succeed. But the only one of the two you simply cannot live without is good content.”

Guerrilla video content can be a great way to share information and appeal to an audience hungry for authentic content, but ultimately the content needs to be compelling for your target audience and the production quality needs to align with your intended distribution platform (i.e. viral sharing, broadcast media, bloggers etc.). Always be clear on your objective – is it to drive sales, change brand perceptions, or build connection with consumers.

For more guidance on videos, check out our previous post “How to Leverage Video Blogging.”