Introduction
The digital landscape has and is still gradually transforming the strategies of traditional marketing. One of such strategy is viral marketing, which has not only captured the attention of marketers or businesses but has also changed the way contents spread or is distributed on the digital landscape. Viral contents or campaigns are the dream or goal of every marketer but sadly no one can know for sure whether their campaigns will go viral as consumers are the only people who have absolute control over a content going viral. Planning a viral marketing strategy is one thing and seeing the results is another. This happens because the success of viral marketing campaigns depends on a number of variables and not all of them can be influenced by the company running the campaign. To understand how viral marketing works and be able to create a viral content, you need to first know what viral marketing is, the factors that influences it, have a fair view of successful case studies or examples viral campaigns etc. This article will therefore delve into the world of viral marketing, exploring its core principles, examining some interesting case studies, delve into the factors that causes a content to go viral as well as advantages and challenges associated with this type of marketing.
What is viral marketing?
More than just a trendy term, viral marketing is an idea that has completely changed how companies interact with their target markets. Creating information that quickly and widely circulates online via social media, email, and other online platforms is the essence of viral marketing. This quick spread is comparable to a virus spread- from one individual to another, hence the name. The allure of viral marketing rests in its capacity to tap into the collective voice of the people to spread a message, a good, or an idea, frequently at a fraction of the price of more conventional marketing techniques.
Principles of viral marketing: what are they?
A set of concepts and strategies make up the principles of viral marketing with the aim of prompting quick and widespread sharing of contents across online platforms and social networks. By combining technology, social dynamics, and human psychology, these principles increase the likelihood that a content, concept, or product will become viral. The following are among the core principles of viral marketing:
Emotional Appeal and Relatability: Viral content frequently elicits powerful emotions like happiness, surprise, empathy, or nostalgia. Audiences are greatly impacted by emotionally charged content, which encourages them to spread it to others who might experience similar feelings. Since it relates to their own experiences, content that people can personally relate to is more likely to be shared.
Originality and Creativity: Virality depends on standing out in a congested digital context. What attracts and piques interest and curiosity among consumers is content that is unexpected, innovative, and creative. Content is more likely to be recognized and spread when it deviates from norms and offers a novel viewpoint or approach.
Social currency and shareability: People distribute stuff that makes them appear smart, educated, or interesting to their peers. This is known as social currency and shareability. More likely to be shared is content that offers social currency—something that improves the reputation or status of the sharer. Since it benefits the sharer, viral content frequently contains a sharing-encouraging element.
Advocates and Influencers: Utilizing influencers—people with a sizable and loyal following—can expand the reach of viral material. The endorsement of the content by influencers gives it legitimacy and motivates their followers to share it as well. Similar to this, user-generated material from ardent supporters fosters authenticity and trust, which encourages additional sharing.
Timing and Current Trends: Viral material frequently makes use of current discussions, events, or trends. Timing is essential because content that fits in with current events or relevant debates is more likely to be shared. Campaigns that go viral capitalize on popular enthusiasm to reach a receptive audience.
Content Medium and Format: Different audiences respond differently to various sorts of content. For content to go viral, the correct format must be chosen, whether it's a video, image, infographic, or article. It is also crucial to take into account the platform on which the information will be disseminated because each one has unique qualities and user behaviors.
Strategies for Engagement and Calls to Action: A call to action, which urges viewers to do something particular, like share, take part in a challenge, or leave a remark, is frequently included in content that goes viral. People become invested in the material as a result of engagement techniques that actively involve the audience.
Interactive elements: The attention and sharing of content that encourages user participation or contact tends to increase. A variety of interactive features such as quizzes, polls, challenges, and other interactive features promote participation and community interaction, hence your content is more likely to be distributed.
Authenticity and Transparency: Audiences respond more favorably to content that represents real values and views. In order to build credibility and trust, the goals of the content and the brand that created it must be open and honest. Content that is deceptive or too promotional may backfire and cause unfavorable reactions.
Storytelling and Narratives: Successful viral material frequently provides a gripping story or narrative that emotionally engages viewers. As stories naturally engage our attention and elicit empathy, viewers are more likely to share the content in order to spread the story.
The benefits of viral marketing
Rapid and Widespread Reach: The ability of viral marketing to swiftly reach a sizable audience is one of its main advantages. The reach of a piece of content can rapidly increase as it is passed from person to person. It is challenging to attain this amount of quick exposure using conventional marketing strategies.
Cost effective: Compared to traditional advertising, viral marketing frequently demands a smaller initial cost. Without the need for continual advertising expenditures, substantial exposure may result through the organic sharing of material that goes viral. Small or new businesses with limited marketing resources may find it an attractive choice due to this.
Enhanced Brand Awareness: Viral content can greatly raise brand familiarity and visibility. As your company, message, or product is made more known, new clients are more likely to become familiar with it and this enhances your brand recognition and loyalty.
Increased Engagement: Viewers often engage in conversations, provide comments, and interact with viral material. When compared to conventional marketing messaging, such material can generate higher levels of engagement because of its emotional resonance and relatability. A brand's audience is engaged by fostering a sense of belonging and belonging.
Word-of-mouth advertising: Word-of-mouth is the lifeblood of viral content. Recommendations from friends, relatives, or influencers they follow are more likely to be trusted by consumers. Shared content gains a level of endorsement among friends, increasing its persuasiveness and influence.
Possibility for Innovation and Creativity: Creating distinctive, innovative material for viral marketing is common. Businesses make use of this opportunity to demonstrate their creativity, innovation, and unique brand identity. Viewers' impressions of a brand can be modified by a creative and innovative content, which could leave an indelible mark on them.
Case Studies
Take a look at the Old Spice advertisement for "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like." In the video, a bulked-up Isaiah Mustafa enters the frame while just wearing a towel. He strolls among diverse backdrops while using clichés in his speech. It was humorous and went viral pretty quick. The 2010 Super Bowl weekend saw the debut of Old Spice's viral video marketing campaign. An excellent example of creative storytelling combined with humor can be seen in this campaign. With funny and original content that addressed both men and women, Old Spice has been able to create a ton of buzz about their brand.
The 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge is another great example of viral marketing. The challenge was to film yourself pouring a bucket of ice water over your head and nominating the next person you know on social media to take the same challenge as they share the video. This challenge was created to raise awareness and support for the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Notable celebrities and entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Tyler Oakley, Mark Zukerberg, Chris Pratt, Oprah etc., took part in this challenge. The challenge created a buzz on the net, attracted a lot of participate and more importantly raised awareness and support for ALS.
The next on our list is Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches". As part of Dove’s real beauty marketing campaign, dove’s real beauty sketches were created. Although a short film, it hammered on the sensitive topic of self-perception and also challenged societal norms. In the video, we see several women describe themselves from behind a curtain to a forensic artist who drew a portrait of them based on the women’s description. Next, random strangers were asked to describe the same women and they were once again drawn to see the difference. The results after comparison? two different sketches, with the strangers’ more accurate, beautiful and happier. The video was set to inspire people all over the world, especially women who didn’t see or realize their beauty, causing them to reevaluate their self-image and it also stirred talks on beauty standards.
Another successful viral marketing campaign is the Blendtec's "Will It Blend?" Series. The series contains infomercials showcasing the power of Blendtec’s line of blenders as their founder attempts to blend unusual and unexpected items such as box of matches, smartphones, golf balls, chicken, camcorder and so on. The series also encouraged and fostered user engagement by inviting the audience or viewers to suggest things or objects to blend. The campaign took off almost immediately, Dickson, the founder revealed. He also mentioned that they undoubtedly felt a positive difference in sales. Amazing changes have been made to their retail and commercial products thanks to Will it Blend which combined eccentric experimentation and user participation.
Pepsi’s ‘Live for Now’ is one of the failed viral marketing campaigns. In this short commercial, we see Kendall modelling for a photoshoot that becomes distracted by the presence of protesters, which Kendall goes to join and, in the end, offers a can of Pepsi to one of the police officers standing in line. The officer is then seen cracking a smile after taking the drink. The ad was intended to send out a message of peace, unity, and understanding but rather received a backlash, which led to its withdrawal because it was claimed it trivialized the social justice movement to generate income.
Another example of viral marketing gone wrong is the McDonald's #McDStories Campaign. McDonald's introduced the #McDStories hashtag on Twitter in 2012 to encourage customers to share their favorable interactions with the company. However, as individuals began using the hashtag to share bad experiences and criticisms about the massive fast-food chain such as poor customer service, food poisoning and other hateful stuffs, the effort swiftly backfired. This also goes on to reason why customer engagement is a two-way affair in the digital landscape as it makes the brand like in the case of blendtec’ will it blend or break the brand as in the case of McDonald’s #McDStories.
Microsoft's Tay AI Chatbot is also another example of failed viral marketing. Microsoft debuted Tay, an AI chatbot, on Twitter in 2016 with the goal of interacting with and learning from users. However, after only a few hours, the chatbot's responses started to match the toxic behavior it had observed in some users and turned nasty, racist, and provocative. In the end Microsoft shut Tay down and apologize making us realize the dangers of AI powered advertisements and the bad side of user engagement.
What constitutes failed viral marketing?
Limited Reach and Engagement: A campaign's failure to establish traction and the absence of a sizable number of shares, likes, comments, or views are signs that the intended audience did not connect with the material.
Critical Comments and Backlash: Negative feedback, criticism, or even a reaction from the audience could result from a botched viral campaign as in the case of McDonald’s #McDStories. The reputation and credibility of the brand may suffer if the content is thought to be rude, insensitive, or unauthentic.
Minimal Conversion or Action: Viral marketing campaigns often have specific objectives, such as driving website traffic, generating leads, or increasing sales. If the campaign fails to achieve these goals and doesn't prompt the desired actions from the audience, it can be considered unsuccessful.
Short-Lived Impact: A viral campaign that experiences a sudden surge in popularity but quickly fizzles out indicates a lack of sustainability. A campaign is said to be a success if it is still impactful after its initial buzz.
Lack of favorable brand association: The campaign may not have successfully communicated the intended message or value proposition if the material fails to foster a favorable association with the brand or product it is promoting.
Challenges associated with viral marketing
Sustainability and Unpredictability: Campaigns can fizzle out just as quickly as they take off, and virality is difficult to forecast.
Negative Backlash & Controversies: Backlash can result from misinterpretation or unintentional repercussions.
Managing Rapid Growth and Scalability: If a campaign unexpectedly becomes popular, it might be difficult to control the rush of interest and participation.
Conclusion
To sum it up, viral marketing is a force to reckoned with in the field of marketing, especially in this digital era where word of mouth and information spreads quickly. By understanding what it means, knowing its principles, and learning from cases associated with this type of marketing, businesses can leverage its power to reach and engage audience on a global stage. Even while not every campaign is successful in becoming viral, the process of creating relatable content and then watching it spread like wildfire teaches us priceless things.
Talk To Us
WhatsApp
