• by Aaron Baar , March 10, 2011

Quietly, a corporate video touting the wonders of glass in technology has been climbing up the viral charts, earning nearly 8 million views on YouTube and becoming the most-watched corporate video of all time.

The video, called " A Day Made of Glass," was originally created for Corning's Investor Day in New York City on Feb. 4. The video subsequently hit YouTube and was quickly picked up in Android forums, then in discussions on Wired, Gizmodo and Awesomer. By March 7, it was the number one video on Unruly Media's "Viral Videos Chart."

"It wasn't specifically architected to get 8 million views on YouTube," John Mannion, director of client relations for Corning agency Doremus, tells Marketing Daily. "We were trying to inspire largely Corning's big investors as to the applications of glass into electronics and into our everyday lives."

The six-minute video, which features no dialogue, was created based on Corning's vision for the future, with the intent of helping investors understand the possibilities of glass. It depicts a family (dad, mom, two daughters, grandmother), going through their day from waking up to heading to bed, using futuristic technologies that rely on glass for their workings. In the video, the characters interact with products ranging from wall-mounted television and video screens, countertops, mirrors, handheld electronics, car electronics, desktops and wall displays, all of which use different types of glass. The action is all backed by a light, airy soundtrack.

"It breaks all the rules when you think about it," Mannion says. "It's six minutes long; it's not funny, it doesn't have celebrities in it, it's not intended to be sent around to your friends."

What the video does have, Mannion says, is all of the elements that make good marketing stand out. It's a simply told story, with product enabling and improving people's lives. It's got engaging performances, and it's imaginative without being too fantastic or unbelievable.

"That's been some of the most fun commentary -- a debate as to how believable or realistic this is," he says, adding that his favorite comment so far has been that it beats "A Day Made of Mayonnaise."

Of course, having caught lightning in a bottle once, the task now becomes trying to replicate "A Day Made of Glass" for next year's video. "Corning will have an investor conference at about the same time next year, and we're going to meet with them soon to talk about the sequel to [it]," Mannion says. "What do we think is so charming [about this video] and can we extend it? Our challenge will be to do a bit of a sequel to it and an extension of it. We're not done thinking about where glass can go."