Wow, I've gone viral!
This sentence is the ultimate aspiration of a marketer!
What exactly does it mean?
Let's discover viral marketing and the great potential of this tool of unconventional marketing.
Just like a musical jingle (the classic hit song), viral content also becomes a must. In no time at all, everyone knows about it, it sticks in the mind, and the company profits from it thanks to dazzling, rapid, and exponential exposure.
The term viral marketing was introduced by Steve Jurveston and Tim Draper, founders of a company that at the time financed the newborn Hotmail. It was indeed a viral marketing campaign that allowed the company to take off!
In practice, when content goes viral, it spreads across the web like a virus, out of control. In no time at all, comments multiply, interactions become countless, and the speed of exposure increases insanely!
How to Create Viral Content
Let's assume there isn't a technique that guarantees 100% that content will go viral.
However, there are some smart practices that can facilitate this outcome:
- the content is carefully crafted to be shareable (an ironic phrase, a provocative video). Viral contents are usually either videos, memes, or gifs
- these contents are targeted for the right audience
- they generate amazement and emotions (positive or negative)
Successful Examples of Viral Marketing
Here are some truly ingenious examples that help you understand what viral marketing means.
Ice Bucket Challenge: When Virality is for a Good Cause
Viral marketing isn't always provocative and irreverent. Sometimes, fortunately, it also has more noble connotations. Such is the case with the very famous "Ice Bucket Challenge", namely the trend of pouring buckets of ice water over oneself that was all the rage in 2014. Not everyone knows that this challenge was launched by the ALS Association (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association) to raise awareness about this disease.
Every "nominee" would pour a bucket of water over themselves and then nominate someone else to do the same. Each "hero" who took part in this challenge would make a donation to the association.
Well, in one year this "game" raised a whopping 115 million dollars! More viral than that!
Volvo and its extreme safety: Volvo Truck
A video that has now reached an impressive 97,052,049 views on YouTube!
A brilliant way to show that Volvo trucks have no steering or stability issues!
Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme looks relaxed and ready for action. The shot widens and the surreal situation the Swedish company is describing becomes clear. Van Damme is doing the splits between two trucks which are not affected at all by his feet being planted on both sides!
The Viral Ad That Amazes and Outrages: Buondì Motta
In a list of this kind, the 2017 Motta commercial is unavoidable.
Sacrilegious and, at the same time, brilliant.
In the video, an annoying little girl asks if there's such a thing as the perfect breakfast "light yet decidedly inviting".
The mother, confident in herself, is not convinced and exclaims: "it doesn't exist dear, may an asteroid strike me!"
Incredibly the asteroid arrives and truly strikes the mother, destroying everything around her!
Criticism, negative comments but enormous exposure!
You can do it too, you just need a lot of commitment and an excellent marketing and sales platform.
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