As promised, I am back for some more talk about video marketing – this time, with a look at some low budget video ads that have since gone viral and done very well for themselves (and their brands) in the process.

To make an effective video to promote your brand in some way, you do not need to have a huge budget to work with, as the following examples will demonstrate. All you really need (besides the recording equipment and editing software, of course) is a great concept and the means to execute it.

So here are 3 video ads by brands that went viral but didn’t cost a ton of money to make. I don’t have any specific figures for how much they did spend, but you’ll get the general idea once you see them. And with that in mind, away we go…

Up first is the Alamo Drafthouse’s “Don’t Talk – Angry Voicemail (Uncensored).” As the title suggests, this one involves some NSFW language, so listen at your own discretion, but this is a brilliant example of an effective, successful low budget viral video ad. The Alamo Drafthouse is a theater in Austin, TX that frowns mightily on those that talk or text during the movie – so much so that they’ll kick you out if you break the rules. And then use the angry, partially incoherent voicemail complaint you leave them afterwards to make an commercial:

That video is so low budget, it’s practically NO budget, and yet – advertising magic. They clearly convey their brand and personality, let everyone watching at home know that the Alamo Drafthouse is the place to go for pleasant movie-watching experiences because they actively work to rid the place of obnoxiousness, and show off their sense of humor…all using a few seconds worth of what basically amounts to found footage. Well done there. Well done, indeed.

Or you could always upload a video of someone playing the guitar quite well, while adding a bit of text letting viewers know exactly where he learned to play like that…and then sit back and see how many of the now nearly 92 million viewers decide they want to learn to play like that, too. I believe that’s another “well done there,” don’t you?

And finally, this one is one with a bigger budget than the last two, but it’s nothing too over the top. This is a recent installment in the highly successful “Will It Blend?” series of ads from Blendtec, this time answering the burning question of whether or not blending several items of Justin Bieber merchandise together might somehow create something with “a little more substance.” No crazy production values here – just a guy in a wig, some teen heartthrob tchotchkes, and a blender. Note the clever CTA instructing folks to head to the Blendtec Facebook page to suggest other things to wreck with a blender. Bonus points for the hairflips, dramatic readings of Justin Bieber’s autobiography, and reference to another extremely popular viral video.

So you see – you don’t need a ton of disposable cash to create a viral video that works. In fact, some companies that DO have a ton of disposable cash spend it on making their videos LOOK LIKE they’re low budget, like this one from Microsoft Germany:

Looks cheap, but definitely wasn’t, since it was done using stunt guys and CG. Interesting, eh?