The Virtue of Virals

One of the most successful, and most cost-effective, new marketing media is the viral advert. It has emerged over the past few years and depends on the viewer actively promoting the advert to their friends and colleagues.

Virals are basically adverts that are forwarded by e-mail. They may be an actual attachment or just a web link. They may be in film format or flash animation – they may even be a game. However they appear, however, they depend on recipients thinking they are so good that their friends should see them and so forward the e-mail. As a result the viral worms its way through the internet community and spreads… like a virus. Apparently 88% of adult internet users in the USA spread jokes and games via e-mail, so it does work.

So why would anyone want to forward an advert? There are basically three reasons:

• It is really funny – bored workers send it to brighten up their friends working days.

• It is rude or provocative – they send it for much the same reasons.

• It is a fun game – yep, you guessed it, same reasons again! 

The simple rule of putting a viral together is that people unconnected with your business will want to send it on. Simply sending out a staid corporate video will not do the trick – people down the line will simply not care about your range of hygienic toilet fittings. What they may care about is a funny situation involving those fittings.

Producing a viral can be very cost-effective because distribution (the costliest element in any direct marketing) is virtually free – simply make the ad and send it out to as many friends and colleagues as you can. This also bypasses the thorny issue of permission-based e-mail marketing.

So why isn’t everyone doing it? Firstly, it takes a lot of imagination to turn your financial advice service into an amusing viral. Secondly there is the potential to offend – Pot Noodle can get away with it because they thrive on a slightly offensive image, but do you want your business to be connected to sex or violence.

If you want to be slightly provocative and push the boundaries, then viral may be for you.

A few examples:

• Funny but tasteless, Ford got in some hot water for appearing to kill pigeons in their viral for SportKa http://www.jugglingcats.com/video/pigeon_ad1.htm
• How could there be anything better for advertising a poker site than with some strip poker http://www.whereyoutakecontrol.com/ - involves nudity so be warned.
• Pot Noodle are past masters at viral games – their latest isn’t their best ever but you can play it here http://www.potnoodle.co.uk/play/flash.asp
• Absolutely hilarious - improve your German Click Here
• The ultimate - an entire series of films from Progresso which are really good fun http://www.homesweetcube.com/

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