Bruce DeBoer from Synthesis provides an overview of viral marketing.
It’s simple: package a brand message into an extremely compelling short film or interactive game that entices your target market to do the distribution for you. They aren’t simply recycled TV commercials because we’d too rarely view them voluntarily. Advertisers [attempt to] create little gems in hope that we will voluntarily interrupt our lives to play with their product promotions, then pass them on so our friends can play and think we are cool, intelligent, and funny for endorsing them. [I know that's always been my wish.]
What makes something go viral is hard to pin down, but controversy is a good place to start. Straddle the line of good taste and you may get a response. How about being shocking? Yup, that may work. Political parodies are always workable because they touch that visceral partisan knee jerk. A good sex or fart joke works every time doesn’t it? Maybe try embarrassing someone by convincing them to do an over-the-top sexual promotion for a burger. Naaaaaah, who’d be stupid enough to do that?
Wikipedia definition: Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that seek to exploit pre-existing social networks to produce exponential increases in brand awareness, through viral processes similar to the spread of an epidemic. It is word-of-mouth delivered and enhanced online; it harnesses the network effect of the Internet and can be very useful in reaching a large number of people rapidly.
I’ve rounded up some samples that range from clever to boring and from juvenile to down right gross.
http://www.brawnyman.com/
http://www.subservientchicken.com
http://www.pimpmyburger.com
http://www.big-boys.com
http://www.jibjab.com
http://www.zefrank.com
http://www.boreme.com
http://www.axefeather.com/
http://www.whoorderedroomservice.com
Contributed by Bruce DeBoer of Synthesis
Related: Contagious Media’s Viral Video Contest (Marketing Vox)
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The problem with all of these examples is that, even the clever ones (like Subservient Chicken) tend to solipsize the brand. The conversions do not necessarily correspond with the success of the campaign.
I know loads of people who have enjoyed making the chicken do ridiculous things, but when I survey them, I find only (roughly…not scientific) 10% can name the brand associated with it. Nor does it drive them to eat at … um, Burger King … more often.
June 17th, 2005 at 1:21 pm
Our most successful viral to date simply used the best 3d graphics we could find to deliver a compelling 3d snowboarding game.
We have found that by getting the creative spot on for the target audience delivers the viral effect – 35 million+ plays in the last 12 months.
Branding is maintained via the console and frequent use of the brand colourways throughout the game. ‘Power ups’ delivered by collecting Clearasil packs help as does the addition of a bonus for inputting bar codes (in certain countries only)
http://www.clearahill.com
June 20th, 2005 at 4:32 am