VIRAL MARKETING

Contents

Viral Marketing: .......................................................................... 2

How a viral campaign works ....................................................... 2

Advantages of viral marketing .................................................... 3

Disadvantages of Viral Marketing ............................................... 4

10 Viral Marketing Principles to Follow ...................................... 5

Examples of viral marketing ....................................................... 6

Viral Marketing is that which is able to generate interest and the potential sale of a
brand or product through messages that spread like a virus, in other words, quickly,
and from person to person. The idea is for it to be the users themselves that choose to
share the content.

Due to their speed and ease to share, social networks are the natural habitat of this kind
of marketing. The most widespread example in recent times is the creation of moving,
surprising or spectacular videos on YouTube, which are then shared on Face book,
Twitter and other channels.

The reason to make use or virality, the ease in spreading and sharing, is however a
double-edged sword. We cannot forget that in this type of campaign, a large part of the
control falls into the hands of the users, and we risk the message being misinterpreted
or parodied. On the other hand, a successful viral campaign can work miracles for your
brand’s results.

How a viral campaign works

A viral marketing campaign is very simple to carry out: create a video or another type
of content which is attractive to the target put it on the internet and plans the first
actions to get it moving. From there on, all you can do is wait for the fuse to light and
for users to start sharing like crazy.

In some cases, virality happens by accident, from a video uploaded by a private user
that all of a sudden becomes popular and begins to circulate all around the Internet.

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 As for the dispersion strategy of the videos created by brands, we have two focus
points: the shown or the concealed. In the former, the user is aware from the first
moment that they are viewing advertising content, while in the latter the participation of
the brand is hidden and is only revealed later.

If you apply concealed marketing techniques, it is important to be very careful so the

No matter what strategy we choose, we should never ever become spammers, nor go
overboard while sharing the content. Instead of repeating message over and over again,
the best strategy is to find the perfect place and time and let the “viral fuse” light itself.

Advantages of viral marketing

 Low cost. What characterizes viral campaigns is that the users do a significant part of
the work for us, which drastically cuts down the costs of dispersion: it becomes
unnecessary to buy advertising or space on the media.

 Potential of great reach. A viral video on the Internet has the ability to reach a huge
international audience without us having to invest money or make any extra effort.
Due to this, a small company or even a private individual can go extremely far.

 It is not invasive. In viral marketing, the decision to participate and share always
comes from the user, and so it never comes across as invasive. Like this, the
perception of the brand and the interaction are significantly better, compared to more
classical forms of advertising.

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 It helps build up your brand. If we really hit the bull’s-eye in terms of creativity,
we are creating content so incredible that users themselves decide to share it and,
hence create a personal connection with your brand. It is without a doubt an
extremely powerful tool when it comes to branding and awareness.

Disadvantages of Viral Marketing

But as with everything, there are cons to go with the pros. While a good viral marketing
campaign can bring massive awareness about your brand in a cost-effective manner, it
also has the capability to dilute your brand. Or at its very worst, build negative
buzz regarding your brand and products. This is when “too much of a good thing” may
just hurt your work in building your organization’s credibility.
Virality rests upon the idea that people share your campaign with their friends. But many
will not do so if they’re afraid you’re going to end up scraping personal
information from them or if you’re simply going to add their friends to a spam mailing
list. Remember, individuals have their own “personal brand” to protect.
Additionally, going viral may lead to a massive influx of new users who suddenly
disappear after checking out your app. These campaigns won’t automatically bring you
loyal customers who will last years.
Overall however, the advantages of viral marketing far outweigh the disadvantages.

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10 Viral Marketing Principles to Follow

With that said, there are principles that are present in every single one of the viral
marketing campaign examples we tackle below. Let’s list them out here before diving
into the best practices you can use to prepare for potential virality in your own
campaigns.

Effective viral marketing campaigns have:

1. Excellent planning

2. Audience involvement

3. Spectacle + press-worthiness

4. Humor + like-ability

5. A worthwhile cause

6. Celebrity star power (optional)

7. Low barrier to entry

8. A really good incentive

9. Exclusivity

10. Urgency

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 Examples of viral marketing

 Going viral with iPhone X

Apple maintains its viral appeal, with the iPhone X through their launch of the "Selfies
on iPhone X" campaign. The secret to this example of viral marketing (which has
clocked up over millions views both online and offline) is very simple: a product so
great that it turns people into fans of the brand all on its own. People love themselves. If
they have the possibility of spreading this love digitally through selfies, it’s almost a
guaranteed win. The iPhone X’s brilliant selfie feature spread virally through various
media forms before apple repurposed the viral content into one masterpiece, the iPhone
X selfies film. As one of the YouTube comments says, “It’s the most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen”… This viral marketing through video has allowed Apple to spread key
features such as their Portrait Lighting effects and their True Depth camera.

 Viral status: Fidget Spinner

A truly viral product emerged from targeting a truly viral problem in the digital age,
known as attention deficit disorder. Allowing people globally to channel their
nervousness into an entertaining handheld device has allowed for the viral spread of
Fidget Spinners. The products modest beginnings spread virally through school children
and later through to adults. We started seeing fidget spinners in social media, memes
with fidget spinners, fidget spinners distracting people while crossing the street, and of
course, fidget spinners in the impulse purchase section of your local supermarket. This
little product achieved a viral marketing status through providing a ‘solution’ to a viral
problem and bringing about a world full of fidgety temptation.

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