A whacky storyline follows a frog. Remarkable content results.

It was Seth Godin raised the idea of "remarkable content" in his book Purple Cow. Godin said the key to creating successful content is to find a way to stand out - to be the purple cow in a  field
of monochrome Holsteins. Remarkable content should motivate people to want to read it, share it and comment on it.

The "Follow the Frog" spot from the Rainforest Alliance fits this description. It has over 1.1 million views on You Tube to date and still growing. So what's the big deal here?

The Rainforest Alliance went out on a limb with this spot. First it is over three minutes long. A viewer has to pay attention to "get it." It makes fun of earth-friendly / do-good people, plays on guilt and apathy, and then goes around the bend with a "...here's what you're not going to do..." fantasy storyline.

The spot ends up telling a very compelling story, that makes for quite remarkable content. It has an unpretentious beginning, a zany middle, and a great end with strong brand message and call-to-action: "Follow the frog." It is funny and compelling all at the same time. The editing is choppy, and the quick cuts will make most people dizzy. But it really works. It's remarkable. Kudos to director Max Joseph.

It is amazing how much content these days is simply re-purposed, re-packaged, fails to tell a compelling story, has nothing to do with a brand message or simply plays it safe and just does not get noticed. Maybe that's the price we've paid for our overwhelming fascination with technology, smart phone gadgets and 140 character micro messaging via Twitter.