The Power of the Thumbnail

Why is a perfectly normal Japanese infomercial for hair removal cream, featuring no nudity whatsoever, one of the most viewed videos on YouTube today? Answer: look at the thumbnail image.

Contrary to what you may think, it’s not a barely covered breast. It’s an armpit. Amazing how people see what they want to see. Here’s a wonderfully serendipitous case of a perfectly valid, non-fraudulent thumbnail attracting prurient viewers to absolutely nonsexual content. Expect marketers to start replicating this little coincidence to climb the YouTube charts.