This is Volkswagen’s Superbowl XLV ad entitled The Force. As I’m writing this, the video has been viewed almost 13 million times on YouTube. Crazy right! But what’s really crazy is that right now, the game is still a few hours away. That’s right! The commercial hasn’t even officially aired on television yet.

It’s a good commercial but not a great one in my opinion. And I’m partial to the brand. I’ve owned four VWs. So how has this video gone so wildly viral? Two reasons. One is because it includes a Star Wars reference. If you watch Big Bang Theory you probably know anything Star Wars has tremendous geek/nerd appeal. What group could be better for sharing your video on the internet. This cohort is likely the origin of the piece trending in social media. But this is where viral luck kicks in.

Top bloggers and social media A-listers are always on the watch for what’s trending. Once this appeared on their radar it spread even more quickly. I started seeing links to the video popping up everywhere two days ago. The views continue to mount. What’s interesting at this point is the greatness of the ad is no longer important. It’s trending and that’s all that matters. Everyone’s piling on like a defense on the blitz. They all want to be part of the phenomenon. Unfortunately, I guess this makes me one of them.