Viral. It’s every marketers dream. Ever since the word “viral” crept into marketing lingo, it has refused to go away. In fact, the word “viral” is thriving in the marketing arena. It appears in client meetings, briefs, and anywhere else it can squeeze its little self into. “Viral” is now the period to every meeting: “Oh yea, and, of course, we also want it to go viral,”says every brand manager at the end of every briefing.
Sophisticated marketers know there are two ways to go viral. One way is to try to force it, which is based on a simple formula. Create something that makes people laugh (even if it’s not relevant to your business), post it on YouTube, send to this and that influencer, get it on http://www.reddit.com/ and boom! Instant success! Sure it’s viral. But it’s manufactured. And manufactured equity won’t last long.
The other way to create content that goes viral is to develop amazing brand experiences that surprise and delight consumers so much that they feel compelled to spread the word. Knock people’s socks off. Do what the competition refuses to do. Recognize that we now live in the “Surprise Economy,” and brands that deliver unique experiences that surprise consumers in meaningful ways will earn the right for people to shout from the rooftops about how great you are. (If you need an example, see what Coke did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDiZOnzajNU&feature=youtu.be or http://mashable.com/2010/07/21/coke-happiness-machine/.) The equity you build from this type of experience will last forever.
By Detavio Samuels, EVP, Director of Client Services, GlobalHue