Digital , Social Media , Creativity , Industry News Jul 18, 2010
You've achieved the holy grail of marketing - your campaign has gone viral...
...now how did you get here? How were you able to achieve "viral" campaign status?
There's a good chance you engaged in several of the following four principles...
1) Giveaways: yep, good old-fashioned free stuff. Free stuff makes people happy. Sample MP3s for music promotions, the first chapter of an ebook, a temporary subscription to a digital tool you've developed...whatever it may be that you're trying to promote. But be sure that it's only a tidbit of the whole thing. Make sure it's of some value - if your audience likes it, they'll share it with others, talking it up, and help generate some interest in your product or service.
2) Videos: Create a really cool video about your product or service and upload it to YouTube and your website. Take a look at any of the most popular viral marketing campaigns to date, and you'll see the extreme importance of this exercise. Videos are very viral-friendly. If possible, make them funny too - that gives them a little more longevity.
3) Social Media: Work the network you already have. Social media has made viral marketing opportunities easier than ever - but make no mistake about it - you still need to set yourself apart somehow. You can use the social media landscape for additional exposure once your viral campaign is well realized. Cross promotion anyone?
4) Visibility: Create buzz, then sustain it. Never let it falter. You want people talking about your product or service all the time. The point is always to be a subject matter of conversation and thought. Memes are one way that marketers have been able to successfully create viral buzz. For example, the promoters of the movie 2012 started the Armageddon meme. The viral buzz around the movie was so substantial it fuelled viewer interest to the point of bringing in over $500 million at the box office. Blogging, may be a more realistic approach for many. Promote your post to your network, and as many social sites as possible.
The key trick is to manage the initial momentum your campaign creates. You must be quick to fuel the fire. Failure to do so will result in your campaign sputtering out, never having a chance to truly go viral.
So now, keeping those principles in mind, I would like to share with you an example of a campaign that truly has gone viral. It's a new favourite of mine, The Old Spice Guy.
It all started with two commercials. These were broadcast, and posted to YouTube. From there, more and more social media content has been added...and no end in sight.
The spots that started it all...
Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
And now for all the rest....
- Old Spice Voicemail Generator (Connects to Reddit, Digg, Twitter, StumbledUpon)
- Facebook (619,942 people "Like" this at the time I wrote this blog)
There is an entire section of this Facebook site dedicated to being able to "Talk to the Old Spice Guy"! Last count had 310 pages of comments. There are 23 short video answers on the first page. The Old Spice Man is directly responding to comments on Facebook and posting them back on Facebook and on YouTube...brilliant!
Facebook Question Responses (there's are over 23 - here are just a few samples)
Andrew Quinn Oviatt / Old Spice
Twitter (79,867 followers at the time I wrote this blog)
Twitter-based tweet feeds Old Spice & Gillette cross promotion video on YouTube
Gillette / Old Spice Cross Promotion
And here is how they managed the end of the Facebook and Twitter-driven video responses. You can imagine how it would be impossible to manage all responses through video...
SMS Twitter-based updates:
Get updates via SMS by texting "follow OldSpice" to "21212" in Canada
With the sheer vastness that is the Internet and my media consumption preferences within it, I surely haven't uncovered all there may be when it comes to the Old Spice Guy. So I'll leave you with a challenge - what else can you find?
This blog is now diamonds...
....I'm on a horse.
Michael HalbmeierAccount Director / Program Manager / Nerd / Flyer Enthusiast
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Check it out - even Sesame Street has picked up on the Old Spice Guy (presumably a sponsored effort by Old Spice...but who knows?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkd5dJIVjgM