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PLEASE BE AWARE: This is an old article, and while we think there are still nuggets of good advice included here, it may be out of date. Things move very quickly in the world of Digital Marketing, Lead Generation and Conversion Rate Optimisation - so please see our latest news for the most recent advice on how to get more out of your website and online marketing.
How to make money using the internet was something of a quandary for advertisers at the dawn of this millennium. It was apparent that the market was going to shift with the new digital dimension rapidly emerging, but could they predict that the key to marketing success would be cute animals and a decades-old theory that ideas are just as contagious as infectious diseases?
Viral marketing has been on the rise for some time and now businesses are really starting to prioritise this method over conventional approaches, such as television and newspaper adverts. But what is it and how does it work?
It starts with an idea, perhaps something funny, like a video of the Arsenal Manager failing continuously to work the zips on his coat or a picture of a cat that looks decidedly miserable, and this idea spreads.
A biological virus spreads by using a host to replicate its infectious material which it then passes onto more hosts, and, conceptually, this can happen with online material. There has never been a better breeding ground for the spread of content than social networks.
For example, when a social media user finds a video funny, it could be said that they are infected. They then share it to their friends via Facebook or Twitter, where hundreds see it and some of them may share it themselves, creating a snowball effect where content can reach thousands in a matter of minutes.
It must be noted at this point, that one of the most successful viral marketing ploys is cute animals. The internet is totally smitten by puppies, cats and anything furry, and companies are in overdrive to make the most of this!
But it isn’t the only approach…
Here are some viral marketing success stories that your business can learn from:
In a previous blog post, we talked about the successful use of animated penguins in John Lewis’ Christmas ad and this month sees the release of Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever; a film which stems from a series of images and videos which went viral a year or two ago (in essence, photographs of a permanently frowning cat, which is of course very cute, swept to almost every corner of the web).
It may not sound like the most exhilarating flick of the festive season, but 2 million Youtube views on a trailer in its first 4 days, isn’t bad going!
Another example of cute animals leading the way comes from camera manufacturer, GoPro. After a video filmed using their product showed a firefighter saving the life of a kitten went viral, GoPro re-released it with their logo on and received over 5 million views, also securing a $200 million sale of 9% stock to a major Chinese firm.
Humour is another highly successful route. Over the past couple of years, videos of Arsene Wenger struggling with the zips on his coat have had internet users guffawing and Puma have subverted this mockery in order to promote their range of Arsenal products.
“The consequences of a zipper malfunction can take you out of your zone, instantly. That’s what Puma considered when choosing the right zipper for Arsene Wenger”, says the ad.
With this funny twist, the kit manufacture are using the momentum of the initial joke to give their own content energy. This particular video received 250,000 views in its first day. It shows that the brand are willing to engage with trends and the online community, with interaction being a huge part of a successful internet marketing campaign – particularly when focussing on social media.
Especially at a local level, building rapport through interaction can not only attract new customers, but also help to keep them coming back.
Create something exciting and entertaining enough and you may just become the next viral hit!
