Pharrell Williams’ Happy is a worldwide phenomenon. This was not by design. It was chance. The story behind this song is that it was in a movie…a kid’s movie to boot. Despicable Me 2 was great, by the way. The song was nominated for an Academy Award, then sat there like a dead duck. Radio airplay? Dream on, said the powers that be at the corporate run media giants…dream on, even for Mr. Williams. So, what did he do?

He mined his catalog. He said, “Hey, how can I further monetize this song?”

He made a video. Hey, if it won’t get airplay, maybe YouTube views will bring in some moolah, was the reasoning. Well, did it ever. Then people from around the world started doing their versions of it and it went completely viral. That means its spread was out of his control.

We know the story. We know how surprised he was at it. We know the emotional reaction he had when Oprah played all those clips from around the world.

But none of that would have happened if Mr. Williams had not spent good money on the making of a great video.

So, you want something to “go viral”? Can’t make it happen, folks, because viral lives in its own world. But like Pharrell, you can put the pieces in place for it if it should go. If you don’t spend the money to get the product out there, it’s a sure bet you will not have opportunity for any viral nature. And, furthermore, if he did not have his paperwork together (can you say ‘legal team?’), it is also a sure bet no money would have accrued for that song because it could not have been placed or tracked.

Wishing and hoping and praying and dreaming won’t cut it.

Thinking and planning and patience and execution are the keys.