PaperCut is a free desktop application that plays the sound of a chainsaw whenever you hit Ctrl-P. The challenge was to promote this app on a miniscule budget: 7,000 USDWe thought what went viral need not be a video, but rather a product, or the idea of a product. Something so incredulous it would be picked up by the online press.We noticed that any new, odd USB peripheral is usually talked about on blogs, e.g. USB humping dog, USB fridge, USB coffee warmer.So, we created the world’s first USB chainsaw––and made it available for pre-order.When buzz on the Internet reached boiling point, we called attention to the desktop app, which resulted in thousands of downloads from 80 countries around the world.

We created a website at www.usbchainsaw.com with a video demo, photographs and an option to pre-order the world’s first USB chainsaw.Anonymous news tips were sent to influential tech blogs. Within hours, Wired and Gizmodo picked it up, along with Twitter, Reddit, DIGG. 24 hours later, we added their quotes on our site, which lent an air of legitimacy to the product.“The iSaw Will Be the Blooder Apex of USB Peripherals.” – Gizmodo“I’m extremely tempted to pre-order this USB-powered chainsaw.” – WIREDAfter excitement reached fever pitch, everyone who pre-ordered were emailed an explanation of the cause, “You already own a chainsaw. Your keyboard,” with a link to download the app.

Blogs that had written about the iSaw had to reveal that it was a hoax, some even included the link, increasing our publicity.

“This is my kind of prank... it gave us a fun diversion with the goal of having us pause and think about an issue with real merit.”– Gizmodo“A great viral can take on many forms other than your standard YouTube clip. For less than $10K, [agency] has managed to create a stir and raise awareness for a great cause.”
— Contagious12 million hits; 300,000 unique visitors.Free media: Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Russia, Greece, Spain, Vietnam....User-uploaded YouTube clips: 150,000 views.Digg’s Top 10: 1335 diggs.1,039 pre-orders in 48 hrs6,438 downloads from 80 countries