Viral marketing refers to the marketing techniques which involves pre-existing social networking sites or free video sites. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable.
The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify individuals with high Social Networking Potential (SNP) and create Viral Messages that appeal to this segment of the population and have a high probability of being passed along.
The term "viral marketing" has also been used pejoratively to refer to stealth marketing campaigns—the unscrupulous use of astroturfing on-line combined with undermarket advertising in shopping centers to create the impression of spontaneous word of mouth enthusiasm.
Viral marketing examples
Hotmail
When Hotmail launched, much of its early success was due to the virality of the sigline that it attached to every outgoing email inviting the recipient to join. One of the earliest examples of viral marketing on the internet.
Subservient Chicken
One of my favorite viral marketing examples on this list, the creepy webcam site made for a Burger King campaign allowed people to control a guy in a chicken suit. It went viral almost instantly and for a few weeks was everywhere.
Blairwitch
In documentary style, the film featuring three teenagers venture into supposedly haunted woods made the local legend of the Blair Witch into a legend of viral achievements. Grossing $248 million worldwide from a budget of $22 million, marketing the film as real events garnered a buzz such that the three actors were "missing, presumed dead," according the Internet Movie Database.
Youtube
Created by Oglivy & Mather, an international advertising agency, the viral video of a ginger shorthaired cat's decapitation by a Ford SportKa infuriated animal rights groups worldwide, for which the agency has released apologies. Oglivy & Mather assured viewers no animals were harmed in the ads creation, and they were in fact visual effects.
Dailypaul.com
Using online grassroots movements, Republican political candidate Ron Paul raised more than $6 million in 24 hours for his 2008 presidential campaign, the largest one-day fundraiser in U.S. political history. Democratic runner Barack Obama has paid $240,000 for the maintenance of his Web site and social networking profiles, but has received $16.4 million in donations from donors who paid in increments of $200 or less.
Watchman
One of the most recent examples on this list, Watchmen’s viral campaign has consisted of fake newscasts and mock PSAs. Judging from the buzz online, these videos are doing their job. Fans are pumped up, and anxiously awaiting the movie’s release.
Jack in the box
The latest Jack in the Box campaign is another new example of viral marketing. During the Super Bowl, Jack in the Box ran a commercial (in some regions) that featured Jack getting hit by a bus. The commercial urged people to visit www.hangingtherejack.com . Unfortunately, the site wasn’t ready for the surge in traffic, and it crashed during its biggest chance to go hot.
Simpsons
When the Simpsons Movie came out, it boasted one of the biggest opening weekends of the year. While it’s easy to say this was because of the show’s illustrious history, the producers believe there’s more to it than that. In fact, they said the viral marketing campaign was the reason for the film’s great success. This campaign consisted of everything from changing 7-11s to Kwik-E Marts to allowing online users to “Simpsonize” themselves.
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