Have you ever wondered what the secret is to go viral on social media? At Devaney & Associates, we have the answer. The truth is, there is no one thing that will make you go viral. It’s not what is being shown, what the company says about the product, what influencer backs the message, or what page it’s promoted to. It’s a combination of everything.
Whether it’s the latest TikTok trend or Scotland taking over Boston for the World Cup game, there have been many viral moments in 2026. When you research the most viral moments, how many of them are made with the assumption they will be viral? Some are, and typically fail, however that’s the best part. You can’t force a viral moment; it just happens. The saying “less is more” couldn’t be truer in this instance. One company changing the game when it comes to viral moments is Ryanair, also known as the “budget airline” of Europe.
Ryanair is known by many, especially young travelers studying overseas, for their cheap prices, convenient schedules, and wide range of destinations. That being said, there’s another side to Ryanair that other passengers have experienced – the rude staff, baggage fees, tiny seats, and constant delays. Each day, people encounter both the pros and the cons of this airline. Individuals who have had bad experiences with the airline do not forget it.
Backlash to start on TikTok
Ryanair launched its TikTok account in 2020, looking to promote their services to young travelers on a budget. What Ryanair hoped to be a fun new way to market themselves, initially backfired on the company, or so many viewers believed. When the account was created, Ryanair was met with immediate backlash in the comments about their offerings. Comments included:
Additionally, videos from other creators populated on TikTok sharing negative experiences with the airline. The most common complaints included personal bags fitting in the bag sizer but being forced to pay when boarding for being “too big” to fit in the overhead bin, booking issues, and not being compensated properly when an airline-based issue occurred.
The Strategy Behind Being Viral = Social Listening
Instead of responding to comments and apologizing on behalf of the airline, former Head of Social, Michael Corcoran, utilized social listening to change the game. Social listening is recognized as monitoring and tracking online conversations, videos, mentions, forums, blogs, and other digital platforms. Using this tool helps answer these questions:
- How does the audience feel about your brand?
- What are competitors saying about the industry, and your company?
- What common questions are brought up by consumers?
- What is currently trending online?
- What type of content performs the best for your brand?
These are just some of the questions that can be answered with social listening. This idea encompasses so much more, but it gets at the root of what the audience is saying about your brand. By understanding your audience, you can position your company in a light that others want to engage with.
How Ryanair Used Social Listening to Their Advantage?
While everyone believed Ryanair was doomed from the start, Michael Corcoran knew exactly what he was going to do. With so many complaints swirling on the internet, it did not look right to publicly redirect the conversations online. Therefore, the answer was to take the jokes made about them and turn them into a new marketing plan. After all, isn’t the saying, if you can’t beat them, join them!
With each new complaint or negative video posted about them, Ryanair would add new content ideas to their media plan. They researched current trends, popular sounds, aviation humor, memes, and more to show they were up to date on societal trends. With the airline having so much backlash, they decided to change their brand’s voice online to incorporate snarkiness, humor, and encourage discussion.
Combining each of these ideas, Ryanair developed TikTok videos centered around ridiculing customer complaints and engaging with controversy. The airline’s decision to acknowledge the complaints online made it even more humorous to viewers, because the complaints were 100% valid. Their videos became quite popular and appeared more often due to this unique social media strategy. Viewers praised the company for their humor, authenticity, and accuracy in each post. It even encouraged creators to make videos taunting the ones Ryanair has posted, increasing the engagement much further, which led the brand to go viral instantly. These witty videos caught much attention online, and while this strategy certainly does not work for every brand, it did for Ryanair.
While some believed the complaints could have dissuaded passengers from using this airline in the future, this strategy did the complete opposite and boosted their brand perception. The airline became more relatable by showing they were self-aware. By reacting to the comments, they showed that they know their brand has some flaws and chose to embrace that, as opposed to defending themselves. Additionally, by being on TikTok, they were able to reach young audiences or their “ideal consumer” and get organic media coverage. Ryanair’s social media plan was thoughtful and ultimately proved to be very effective.
@ryanair ryanananananana 🏎️💨 #ryancore #ryanair ♬ original sound - Ryanair
@ryanair we heard you flush🧻 #ryanair ♬ original sound - Ryanair
So, How Do Viral Moments Happen?
The answer is crafted behind a strategic social media marketing plan. For Ryanair, they were able to break past airline standards online and use customer complaints to redirect the conversation. With so much discussion in the airline industry centered around meeting customer needs and encouraging safety; this was unheard of and created a sense of shock for viewers. It was that surprise that left many speechless, and eager for more. As a result of these videos, Ryanair gained 2.1 million TikTok followers. This increased their brand’s presence online and showed competing airlines that they are an industry leader when it comes to social media strategy.
So, they had a good social media strategy, but how did they go viral? The key is social listening. You can’t force a viral moment online. You must know what your viewers want to see, what they have questions about, and what’s currently happening in the industry that could impact your business. Each of these answers is how you get your brand to go viral. Ryanair’s strategy was rooted in social listening. Sometimes doing less for your brand will ultimately be where you find the most success online. Be authentic and true to your company and utilize social listening when you can.
How Can D&A Help?
Viral success is not something you can manifest directly, but it’s a combination of social listening, understanding your audience, and engagement. At Devaney & Associates, Inc., we are trained and well-equipped with all the social listening and social media tools to understand your audience and know how to reach them. By tracking media mentions, conversations, comments, shares, reposts, and reviewing analytics; we can help position you as an industry leader, and might just help you go viral!
Want to learn more about how your business can improve on social media? Contact the D&A social media department today!