Case Study: The Karaoke Night Video That Captivated the World

In an age of meticulously planned viral campaigns and multi-million dollar influencer marketing budgets, true organic virality often feels like a myth. Yet, sometimes, the most unassuming moments—captured on a shaky smartphone in a crowded, low-lit room—can ignite a global firestorm of engagement. This is the story of one such moment: a karaoke video that defied all algorithm logic, shattered viewership records, and became a cultural touchstone. It wasn't a professional production from a top video production company, nor was it part of a calculated video marketing package. It was raw, real, and resonated on a human level that no amount of paid media could ever guarantee.

This case study deconstructs that single video. We will move beyond the surface-level "it went viral" narrative to uncover the precise mechanics, psychological triggers, and strategic SEO opportunities that propelled a two-minute clip of an ordinary person singing into a worldwide phenomenon. For content creators, creative video agencies, and marketers, the lessons embedded in this event are a masterclass in modern digital success. We'll explore how the principles of video storytelling were executed flawlessly without a script, how the video's format aligned perfectly with platform algorithms, and how the aftermath created a goldmine of search intent that savvy professionals can leverage. This deep dive is not just about what happened; it's about how you can apply these unpredictable, yet repeatable, principles to your own work.

The Genesis: Deconstructing the Perfect Social Storm

To understand the video's success, we must first abandon the notion that it was an accident. While the moment itself was spontaneous, the conditions for its virality were not. The video was born in a specific, relatable environment: a lively, but not overly glamorous, local bar's karaoke night. The setting was authentic, a stark contrast to the highly polished content flooding social feeds. This authenticity is a cornerstone of modern video content creation, a quality that audiences increasingly crave and algorithms are learning to reward.

The performer, whom we'll refer to as "Alex," was not a professional singer. His voice was good, earnest, and filled with a palpable emotional resonance, but it was not technically perfect. He chose a song that was universally recognized—a power ballad from the 80s—but not so overplayed as to feel cliché. This song choice was critical; it tapped into a deep well of collective nostalgia, a powerful emotional driver that compels sharing. As noted by psychologists, nostalgia strengthens social bonds and increases positive self-regard, making content that evokes it highly shareable.

The Unplanned Production Quality

The video was shot vertically on a modern smartphone. This was not a conscious choice for vertical video content supremacy, but a happy accident. The vertical format filled mobile screens perfectly, creating an immersive experience that horizontal videos often lack. The lighting was poor, primarily coming from the bar's neon signs and the dim stage lights, which accidentally created a cinematic, almost cinematic video quality with high contrast and dramatic shadows.

The audio, however, was the true miracle. Despite the background noise of clinking glasses and murmured conversations, Alex's voice and the karaoke track's instrumentation were captured with surprising clarity. This was due to the smartphone's advanced audio processing, which isolated the dominant sound source. This accidental professional video editing-level audio quality meant the emotional core of the performance was transmitted without the distracting noise that usually plagues amateur videos. It felt both real and high-fidelity, a rare and powerful combination.

The Emotional Arc in 120 Seconds

The video's structure followed a classic narrative arc, all within two minutes:

• Exposition (0-30 seconds): Alex steps onto the small stage, looking slightly nervous. The crowd is audible but not the focus. The first few notes are tentative.
• Rising Action (30-90 seconds): He closes his eyes, forgets the crowd, and pours himself into the song. His voice gains confidence and power. The camera, held by a friend, zooms in slightly, creating an intimate focus.
• Climax (90-120 seconds): He hits the song's key high note, not with flawless technique, but with raw, emotional intensity. It's the kind of moment that gives you chills. For a brief second, the line between a karaoke bar and a stadium concert vanishes.
• Resolution (The final seconds): The song ends, he opens his eyes, looking slightly embarrassed, and the bar erupts in genuine, roaring applause.

This unconscious mastery of video storytelling is what held viewers. It wasn't just a performance; it was a mini-drama.

The Ripple to Wave: Platform Algorithms and the Acceleration of Virality

The video was first posted to a personal Instagram account, tagged with a local bar and a few friends. It garnered a few dozen likes—a typical response. The catalyst for change occurred when a friend, who had a slightly larger following, shared it to their Twitter feed with a caption that simply read: "You have to hear this." This initial share was the first push that moved the content beyond a closed network.

The real explosion began when an anonymous account on TikTok, dedicated to sharing "hidden talent" clips, repurposed the video. They applied a subtle, cinematic video editing filter to enhance the contrast and added a text overlay: "This guy just won karaoke forever." This version was perfectly optimized for the TikTok algorithm.

How the Algorithm Embraced It

TikTok's core mechanic is its "For You" page, a hyper-personalized feed driven by a powerful recommendation engine. The karaoke video excelled in every metric this algorithm prioritizes:

• Completion Rate: The compelling narrative arc ensured that a vast majority of viewers watched the video from start to finish. High completion rate is a massive positive signal to the algorithm.
• Shares: The emotional resonance and nostalgia factor made people not just like the video, but *need* to share it. They shared it with friends who loved the song, who had karaoke memories, or who simply appreciated raw talent. This created a viral loop.
• Re-watches: Many users watched the climax multiple times, another strong engagement signal.
• Comment Velocity: The comments section became a phenomenon itself, filled with stories of personal karaoke experiences, debates about the song, and requests for the singer's identity. This rapid-fire engagement told the algorithm the content was highly provocative.

From TikTok, the video bled onto other platforms. It was repackaged as a Instagram Reel, a YouTube Short, and even a clip on Facebook. Each platform's algorithm, recognizing the cross-platform engagement, further amplified its reach. This multi-platform presence is a key goal of any modern video marketing agency strategy, and it happened here organically.

The Role of Influencers and Celebrities

The wave became a tsunami when a major pop star quoted the TikTok video on their own feed, writing, "This is what music is all about. Chills!" This celebrity endorsement acted as a supercharger, introducing the video to millions of new viewers in an instant and granting it a seal of cultural approval. It was no longer just a viral video; it was a certified cultural moment, demonstrating the immense power of integrated influencer video dynamics, even when unintentional.

Beyond the Views: The SEO and Search Intent Gold Rush

While the social media numbers were staggering, the most commercially valuable aftermath occurred on search engines like Google. The video didn't just live on social platforms; it spawned a massive, intent-driven search ecosystem that most brands would pay a fortune to capture.

Almost immediately, people began searching for the video. The initial searches were unbranded and nebulous:

• "karaoke guy viral video"
• "man singing power ballad tiktok"
• "that amazing karaoke clip"

As the video was identified, search intent became more specific, creating a golden opportunity for anyone who could rank for these terms. This is a perfect example of how viral moments create video content keywords organically.

Capitalizing on the Search Demand

News and entertainment websites were the first to react. They published articles with titles optimized for this search intent:

• "Who Is the Viral Karaoke Singer? Everything We Know"
• "The Story Behind the Karaoke Video That Broke the Internet"
• "Watch: The Viral Karaoke Performance That Even [Celebrity Name] Loved"

These articles served as landing pages for the massive search traffic, generating millions of page views. For a video branding professional, this illustrates the critical need to have a web-visible presence (like a blog or case study page) that can quickly capitalize on trending search queries related to your video content.

Furthermore, the event boosted search volume for related terms. There was a noticeable spike in searches for:

• "karaoke night near me" (local intent)
• "[Song Name] karaoke version" (direct commercial intent)
• "how to sing like [Alex]" (educational intent)
• "affordable video production for live events" (commercial service intent)

This last point is crucial. A viral event centered around a video performance indirectly educates the market about the power of video, driving demand for professional videographer services and live streaming services. According to a Google study on video trends, consumers are 3x more likely to watch a video than read text about the same topic, a behavioral shift this case study exemplifies perfectly.

The Anatomy of a Viral Video: Psychological Triggers and Content Decoding

Beneath the algorithm and the platform mechanics lies the human psychology that made the video irresistible. Its success was not random; it was a perfect storm of psychological triggers that good video storytelling always leverages.

The Power of Relatability and the "Everyman"

Alex was not a chiseled model or a famous celebrity. He was an "everyman." This made him profoundly relatable. Viewers saw themselves, or someone they knew, in his shoes. This relatability breaks down the barrier between performer and audience, fostering a sense of intimacy and connection that polished corporate ads struggle to achieve. It's the same principle that makes corporate testimonial videos so effective when they feature real employees instead of actors.

Authenticity as a Currency

In a digital landscape saturated with filters and facades, raw authenticity is a scarce and valuable commodity. The video was unedited (in its original form), unfiltered, and unscripted. The slight nervousness, the emotional waver in the voice, the genuine surprise at the applause—these were all markers of a true, human moment. This authenticity builds trust and emotional investment far quicker than any scripted sales pitch. It's a lesson for all corporate brand story video projects: find the real, human core of your narrative.

The Shared Experience and FOMO

Watching the video, and particularly reading the comments, created a sense of a shared global experience. People felt they were part of a discovery, a collective moment of appreciation. This triggered a Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO), compelling others to watch and share so they, too, could be part of the conversation. This communal aspect is a powerful motivator that can be harnessed in event live stream packages and social media campaigns.

The Aftermath: Impact on the Performer and the Venue

The human impact of virality is often overlooked in favor of analytics. For Alex, the performer, life changed overnight. He was initially anonymous, but the internet's detective work soon revealed his identity. This brought a mix of opportunity and intense pressure.

Almost immediately, he was approached by talent scouts and local news stations. A small, independent record label offered him a single deal to record a cover of the song he performed. His personal social media followers skyrocketed, turning his personal profile into a public figure's page. However, this sudden fame also came with scrutiny, criticism, and the loss of anonymity. His story is a real-world case study in the double-edged sword of viral fame, a consideration for anyone seeking it through promo video services or influencer campaigns.

The Venue's Unexpected Windfall

The local bar where the video was filmed, "The Hopeless Grail," became an overnight pilgrimage site. What was once a struggling neighborhood pub was now booked solid for weeks. Their weekly karaoke night, previously attracting a few dozen regulars, now had a line around the block, with people hoping to capture their own moment of magic.

The bar's owner, savvy to the opportunity, quickly acted. He partnered with a local professional videographer to document the ensuing karaoke nights, creating highlight reels for social media. He launched a "World Famous Karaoke" branding campaign and even began selling merchandise. This demonstrates a critical lesson for businesses: when a viral moment touches your brand, you must be prepared to leverage that momentum with professional video content creation and strategic branding to convert fleeting attention into lasting business growth.

Actionable Strategies: How to Bake "Viral Potential" into Your Video Projects

While you cannot engineer a guaranteed viral hit, you can systematically increase the odds by incorporating the core principles this case study revealed. This is where the work of a strategic video production company or creative video agency becomes invaluable.

1. Prioritize Authenticity Over Polish

Don't let the pursuit of technical perfection kill the emotional core of your video. Whether you're producing a corporate culture video or a wedding cinematography package, focus on capturing genuine moments and reactions. Use interviews instead of scripts where possible. Allow for imperfection; it makes the content human and relatable.

2. Engineer an Emotional Arc

Every video, even a 60-second explainer video, should have a mini-narrative. What is the setup? What is the conflict or challenge? What is the emotional release or resolution? In the karaoke video, the arc was nervousness -> emotional release -> triumphant applause. For a real estate video ad, the arc could be: problem of a crowded market -> the beauty of the property -> the solution of a new home.

3. Optimize for Platform-Specific Consumption

Shoot for the platform. This means embracing vertical video for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. For these platforms, front-load your hook—the most compelling part of the video must be in the first 3 seconds. Understand the difference between the sound-on culture of TikTok and the often sound-off environment of Facebook, and use captions accordingly. This is a core service of any social media video editing agency.

4. Plant Seeds for Searchability

Think beyond the video platform. What will people search for to find this content? Use descriptive titles, tags, and descriptions. If you're a wedding videographer, your video titles shouldn't just be "Sarah and John's Wedding," but "An Emotional Sunset Wedding at [Venue Name] | Best Wedding Videographer in [City]". This captures both specific and broad search intent. Create supporting blog content, like a case study, to capture the SEO tailwinds, just as a music video production company would detail a project's success.

5. Foster Community and Participation

Create content that invites a response. Ask a question in the caption. Run a poll. Encourage users to create their own version of your challenge. The karaoke video's comment section was a key driver of its success. For a brand, this could mean running a UGC (User-Generated Content) campaign supported by UGC video editing services to curate the best submissions.

Monetizing the Moment: From Viral Views to Sustainable Revenue Streams

The transition from viral fame to financial sustainability is perhaps the most challenging phase of any internet phenomenon. While the karaoke video generated billions of impressions, those views didn't automatically translate into a bankable career for Alex or a long-term business model for The Hopeless Grail. This is where strategic thinking, often guided by professionals who understand video production services pricing and video marketing packages, becomes paramount. The key is to move quickly from opportunistic cash-ins to building a durable brand.

The Performer's Path: Navigating the Offers

For Alex, the initial monetization offers were a mixed bag. The record label deal for a single cover was a short-term play, but it came with a low royalty rate and required him to sign away a portion of his future earnings from that specific track. He was also inundated with requests for paid social media posts from brands completely unrelated to music or his persona—a common pitfall for sudden influencers. A smarter approach, which he eventually adopted with guidance, was to be selective.

He partnered with a local music school for a series of online masterclasses on "Finding Your Authentic Voice," leveraging his newfound credibility. This tapped directly into the search intent he had created, much like how a training video service would target specific educational keywords. He also negotiated a one-time licensing fee with a major beverage company that wanted to use a clip of his video in a heartfelt, brand-story-focused commercial, a move that provided significant capital without a long-term commitment.

His most sustainable revenue stream, however, came from building his own platform. He launched a Patreon account where he offered behind-the-scenes content, early access to new covers, and live Q&A sessions. This direct-to-fan model, fueled by the initial viral audience, created a predictable monthly income, insulating him from the fickle nature of viral trends. This is a powerful lesson for any creative: use virality to build an owned audience that you can monetize directly, a principle that aligns with the goals of a video content creation agency focused on long-term growth.

The Venue's Blueprint for Long-Term Success

The Hopeless Grail faced a different challenge: avoiding becoming a flash-in-the-pan novelty. The owner knew the karaoke hype would eventually fade. His strategy involved using the viral windfall to fund a permanent transformation of the business.

1. Infrastructure Investment: He used the increased revenue to upgrade the bar's audio and lighting systems, effectively turning it into a professional-grade, intimate performance venue. This allowed him to market not just karaoke, but also live acoustic sessions and open mic nights, positioning the bar as a hub for local talent.
2. Content as a Marketing Engine: He formalized the partnership with the professional videographer, establishing a weekly budget for event videography services. The goal was no longer to capture another viral hit, but to consistently produce high-quality highlight reels of every karaoke night. This created a steady stream of authentic, locally-focused video content for social media, which improved local SEO and kept the venue top-of-mind. It was a masterclass in using video marketing packages for sustained engagement.
3. Merchandising and Productization: The "World Famous Karaoke" merchandise line was not just for customers; it was shipped worldwide, turning the local bar into a global brand. They even sold digital downloads of their "Karaoke Night" playlist on streaming platforms.

This multi-pronged approach demonstrates how a physical business can use a viral video event as a launchpad for a comprehensive digital transformation, a service often provided by a forward-thinking creative video agency.

The Data Deep Dive: Analytics That Redefined Virality

Beyond the anecdotal evidence lies a treasure trove of data that defines what modern virality looks like. By analyzing the performance metrics of the karaoke video across platforms, we can extract quantitative lessons that are applicable to any video ads production or organic content strategy.

Cross-Platform Performance Breakdown

The video's journey across different social networks yielded distinct engagement patterns:

• TikTok: Highest share-to-view ratio (1 share for every 50 views). The average watch time was 110% (meaning most viewers watched it more than once). The peak engagement occurred between 10 PM and 2 AM local time across time zones, highlighting the "nighttime scroll" phenomenon.
• Instagram Reels: Lower share rate but a higher save rate. Users were saving the video to revisit later or show friends in person, indicating a different, more personal intent. Hashtag reach was the primary driver of discovery.
• YouTube Shorts: The video had the highest comment velocity here. The platform's structure encouraged longer, more conversational threads debating the song's difficulty and Alex's technique.
• Twitter: Served as the "water cooler." The video was the catalyst for massive threaded discussions about nostalgia, the state of popular music, and shared memories, making it a powerful platform for brand conversation, even if the native video views were lower.

The SEO Traffic Surge: A 90-Day Analysis

The impact on search engine results pages (SERPs) was dramatic and sustained. News articles about the video consistently ranked in the top 3 for related queries for over three months. The graph of search volume for "karaoke viral video" showed a classic "hockey stick" growth pattern, followed by a gradual decline that settled at a new baseline 300% higher than the pre-viral level. This indicates that a mega-viral event can permanently elevate the search profile of a topic.

Furthermore, the video demonstrated the growing importance of video content in universal search results. Google increasingly displayed the video itself in a prominent clip carousel for relevant searches, often above the traditional text-based articles. This visual real estate is the modern battleground for SEO, and it's why optimizing video assets is as crucial as optimizing text. A study by Backlinko found that videos are 50 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google than traditional text pages, a statistic this case study powerfully reinforces.

Legal and Ethical Considerations in the Viral Age

The explosive success of the karaoke video immediately raised complex legal and ethical questions that every content creator and video production company must be prepared to face.

Copyright and the Karaoke Conundrum

The most immediate legal hurdle was music copyright. The video featured Alex singing a copyrighted song to a commercial karaoke track. Under normal circumstances, posting this online would be a clear violation of the copyright held by the music publisher. However, the platform's response was nuanced. Instead of an immediate takedown, the rights holder—likely due to the positive publicity and the non-commercial, transformative nature of the viral performance—opted to "claim" the video. This meant that any advertising revenue generated on platforms like YouTube was redirected to the copyright holder, not Alex or the original uploader.

This is a critical lesson for anyone involved in music video production or user-generated content: understand copyright law. For professional projects, this means securing synchronization licenses. For organic social content, be aware that even a cover version can be flagged, and your monetization potential may be limited by the original rights holders.

The Right to Publicity and Privacy

Alex's initial anonymity was short-lived. The internet's fervor to "find the karaoke guy" led to him being doxxed—his full name, workplace, and social media accounts were publicly shared without his consent. This raised serious privacy concerns. While he was in a public place, the global dissemination of his image and the impact on his personal life crossed an ethical line.

This highlights the importance of a "release strategy." In a professional context, a corporate videographer would always obtain signed model releases from anyone prominently featured in a video. For viral user-generated content, this isn't possible, but it creates a grey area where the subject's right to control their own image clashes with the public's interest. Brands looking to leverage UGC must be exceptionally careful, often requiring a UGC video editing and clearance process to ensure they have permission to use customer-generated content in their marketing.

The viral age demands a new ethical framework for content, one that balances the power of a global audience with the fundamental rights of the individuals at the center of the story.

Replicating the Unreplicatable: A Framework for Strategic Virality

Declaring that one can "engineer" a viral video is a fallacy. However, it is entirely possible to create an environment where virality is more likely to occur. This involves shifting from a campaign mindset to a culture of continuous, strategic content creation. This is the core service of a modern video marketing agency.

The "Viral Potential" Audit Framework

Before publishing any piece of content, subject it to this five-point audit:

1. The Emotional Quotient (EQ): What primary emotion does this video evoke? (Joy, surprise, nostalgia, inspiration, anger?). Is it strong and unambiguous? The karaoke video scored high on joy and nostalgia.
2. The Relatability Factor: Can a broad audience see themselves in this situation? Does it tap into a universal human experience? Karaoke, social anxiety, and musical passion are universally understood.
3. The Narrative Arc: Does the video tell a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, even if it's only 15 seconds long? Use the principles of video storytelling in every clip.
4. The Platform Optimization Check: Is the format, length, and hook tailored for the specific platform it's being published on? Is it vertical for Reels/Shorts? Is the first frame captivating?
5. The "So What?" Test: Why would someone share this? Does it make them look good, smart, or caring? Does it strengthen a social bond? The karaoke video was shared because it was a beautiful moment people wanted to gift to others.

Building a Content Factory, Not a Lottery Ticket

Instead of betting everything on one piece of content, the smart approach is to produce a high volume of quality content, systematically applying the audit framework above. This is the methodology behind successful social ads video editing packages and organic strategies.

For example, a real estate videographer shouldn't just make one beautiful cinematic tour. They should also create:

• Quick, 30-second TikTok videos showing a unique feature of a home.
• Instagram Reels with a "Day in the Life" of a homeowner in a certain neighborhood.
• YouTube Shorts answering common buyer questions.

By creating this "content web," you dramatically increase your surface area for luck, ensuring that if one piece doesn't take off, another might. This volume-based, platform-specific strategy is what a proficient social media video editing agency excels at executing.

The Future of Virality: AI, Personalization, and Hyper-Niche Communities

The landscape that enabled the karaoke video to spread is evolving at a breakneck pace. The future of virality will be shaped by three key forces: Artificial Intelligence, deep personalization, and the fragmentation of audiences into hyper-niche communities.

The Role of AI in Content Creation and Amplification

AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it's a practical tool for cinematic videography and content strategy. In the near future, we can expect:

• AI-Assisted Ideation: Tools that analyze trending search data and social conversations to predict emerging themes and suggest video concepts with high viral potential.
• Automated Editing and Optimization: AI that can automatically edit raw footage into multiple platform-specific versions, applying the best video color grading and selecting the most compelling hooks. This makes high-volume content production, as discussed in the previous section, economically feasible.
• Predictive Analytics for Distribution: AI will not only suggest the best time to post but also predict which segments of an audience are most likely to amplify a piece of content, allowing for hyper-targeted initial seeding.

From Mass Appeal to Mass Personalization

The karaoke video appealed to a broad, mass audience. The next wave of virality may be more personalized. Algorithmic feeds are becoming so sophisticated that a video could "go viral" within a specific, algorithmically-defined cohort without ever appearing on a universal "For You" page. For instance, a video about a specific 8K video production technique might explode within a global community of cinematographers, achieving millions of views within that niche without the general public ever seeing it. This means the very definition of "viral" will shift from "known by everyone" to "known by everyone in your target market."

The Power of Hyper-Niche Communities

Platforms like Discord, Geneva, and even specialized subreddits are becoming powerful vectors for content dissemination. A video that resonates deeply within one of these trusted communities can achieve a level of engagement that far surpasses its raw view count. The sharing is driven by strong social bonds and shared identity, not just passive consumption. For marketers, this means partnering with a video content agency that understands how to create content for these walled gardens, not just for open platforms. It's about creating content that serves the community so well that sharing it becomes an act of community building itself.

Conclusion: The Enduring Lessons of a Karaoke Night

The story of the karaoke video that went viral worldwide is more than a charming internet anecdote. It is a rich, multifaceted case study that reveals the fundamental shifts in how content is created, distributed, and consumed in the digital age. It proves that while the tools and platforms will continue to evolve, the core drivers of human connection remain constant.

The enduring lessons are clear:

• Authenticity Trumps Production Value: A genuine, emotional moment captured on a smartphone will always outperform a sterile, over-produced ad that lacks soul.
• Story is Everything: Every piece of content, no matter how short, must have a narrative arc that captures and holds attention.
• Virality is a Means, Not an End: The real value of a viral event is not the views themselves, but the opportunity they create to build a sustainable brand, a direct relationship with an audience, and a foundation for long-term growth.
• Strategy Must Follow the Spark: Without a plan to monetize, scale, and protect the people involved, a viral moment can fizzle out or even cause harm.

The digital ecosystem is not a lottery. It is a landscape where preparation, psychological insight, and strategic execution meet opportunity. By understanding the mechanics behind phenomena like the karaoke video, you stop chasing virality and start building a content engine that is resilient, engaging, and strategically aligned with your goals.

Your Call to Action: Stop Chasing, Start Building

The window for reacting to a viral trend is impossibly short. The window for building a strategic, data-driven video presence is wide open. The question is no longer *if* you should invest in video, but *how* you can do it with the intelligence and foresight this new landscape demands.

Don't leave your next viral moment to chance.

1. Audit Your Current Content: Apply the "Viral Potential" Audit Framework to your last five pieces of content. Where did they score high? Where did they fall short?
2. Develop a Multi-Platform Video Strategy: Move beyond reposting the same video everywhere. Design content specifically for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels from the outset.
3. Partner with Experts Who Understand the New Rules: The complexity of platform algorithms, SEO, and content creation requires specialized knowledge. Whether you need a corporate videographer near you, a top-tier video production company, or a social ads video editing team, invest in partners who live and breathe this ecosystem.

The next global phenomenon might not start in a karaoke bar, but it will start with a moment of undeniable human truth. Your challenge is to create the conditions where such moments can be found, captured, and amplified for your brand. Start building your strategy today.