Commercial Ink - Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is defined as the process of using social networks to increase exposure for a particular product, brand or issue through minimal initial contacts or budget. Many people will compare it to word of mouth, but, although they are similar, they are not synonymous. Viral marketing promotions can come in the form of videos, ebooks, software, images, and interactive Flash games, just to name a few. Essentially, it is the enhancement of word of mouth via the internet. There are six concepts that all successful viral marketing campaigns have in common:

     1. Give-a-ways
     2. Involves effortless transfer to others
     3. It can benefit from others' resources
     4. Can be easily converted from small scale to large scale
     5. Takes advantage of pre existing social networks
     6. Exploits common behaviors and motivations

Probably the best example of putting these six strategies into action comes from Hotmail. When originally starting up their free online services, Hotmail included each of these aspects into their viral marketing campaign. They began by distributing free email, attaching a tag at the bottom of each email sent that provided a link to get your own free service. That was all that was needed to drive others to sign up for Hotmail services, and spread the news to their friends, family, and coworkers.

Recently, TV shows True Blood, House, and FlashForward have implemented viral marketing campaigns to promote their series. True Blood has featured "news articles" about living with vampires, and even went as far to create ads for their mock-blood drink. House came up with the "snakes on a cane" campaign which took a famous medical logo to promote the new season of the show. FlashForward created a website where viewers can log on and view fake news reports and even contribute their opinions.

There is no doubt that in today's competitive market, it is important to stay current and creative. "Thinking outside the box" is becoming more and more popular in today's advertisements. Although viral marketing may not have a long term sustainable advantage, it can definitely aid in creating brand awareness and getting customers hooked on your product.

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