Even though it’s mostly invisible in this video, it’s the camera and the GoPro brand that get most of the credit. The brand becomes a delivery mechanism for adventure, for the idea of checking things off our collective bucket list.

It also gets credit for compassion and humanism thanks to slower, viral hits like “Fireman Saves Kitten.”

The GoPro channel has a little under two million subscribers, comprised of sports fans, thrill seekers, photography buffs and just about anyone with a social media account. Sharing is everything for this kind of content. The video above has received over 30 million views and generated more than 27,000 comments. 

Those numbers are important for the success of GoPro’s digital marketing strategy. By posting engaging content on a regular basis, the company is able to demonstrate value in becoming a subscriber.

On top of that, GoPro systematically goes through the viewer comments on YouTube and answers any product questions that come up.  In other words, GoPro is using YouTube as an active system of customer and prospect engagement, not merely a repository for pushing out content.

It is brilliant. And I love Fireman Saves Kitten: