viral marketing

@TejDesai

@TejDesai

hello

@TejDesai

VIRAL MARKETING, BUZZ MARKETING, WORD-OF-MOUTH …

EMDI Institute February 07, 2013

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What is it?(Discussion)

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ITS ALL FRIGGIN’ SAME!!

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According to Wikipedia…

It is the interaction of consumers and users of a product or service which serves to amplify the original marketing message,[1] a vague but positive association, excitement, or anticipation about a product or service.

Positive "buzz" is often the goal. The term refers both to the execution of the marketing technique, and the resulting goodwill that is created.

It’s a technique that attempts to make each encounter with a consumer appear to be a unique, spontaneous personal exchange of information instead of a calculated marketing pitch choreographed by a professional advertiser

@TejDesaiThe Sopranos series on HBO, NY

@TejDesaiFrontline Flea & Tick Spray from Jakpetz, Pet Emporium - Jakarta

@TejDesaiJeep – Parking space, Copenhagen

@TejDesaiBicycle Shop in Altlandsberg Berlin

@TejDesaiMini Cooper, Zurich

@TejDesaiBallet Classes Ad

@TejDesaiVolkswagen – Airport pickup

@TejDesaiFitnessFirst – BusStop Ad

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THE ORIGIN

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One to Many

Make networks work in a way that ideas, messages, brand names spread rapidly without much effort.

Virulence is seductive!

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ANY GUESSES, WHO THEY ARE?

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The reason why some

ideas turn into fads,

a song becomes a massive hit or a book by

an unknown author becomes a best-seller.

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SO HOW DO WE GET VIRAL DISTRIBUTION…

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“The key to making ideas spread quickly is

to find the right handful of super-influencers to

get the ball rolling”.- Malcolm Gladwell,

Best-selling Author, Speaker

Law of the Few

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“Network effects are too complex to be reliably reproduced by targetting only a handful of

influential individuals. Ideas do spread virally, but how fast this

happens depends on whether or not everyone is easily infected. If

everyone is susceptible, then anyone randomly infected can start an epidemic, rather than just the highly connected few”.

- Duncan Watts, Social Scientist

Law of the Many

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May be both have a point…

How fast something becomes viral depends upon both

how infectious the carriers are and how susceptible the population is to

being infected.

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Amongst the first few FlashMobs…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM London, Liverpool Station, Jan 15, 09, 11am

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In less than a month, T-Mobile channel on YouTube had more than 3000 subscribers,

more than 400 comments, over 800k views and over £1.2m of free media

coverage! Till date it has garnered over 37mln views!!

Life is better when you share it!

@TejDesai

• Generate a real feeling of anticipation and create a truly unique, memorable moment that everyone would want to share in.

• Give thousands of people the opportunity to experience first hand what ‘life's for sharing' is all about.

Sequel to the Flash Mob Dance

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Teaser / Announcer

Teaser Ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki5absp4Zn4

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Activation – Sequel 2

Sing-along Ad, Trafalgar Square, April 30, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orukqxeWmM0

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Result

• More than 13500 people gathered in Trafalgar Square – thinking they could be dancing - no-one had any idea how the event would unfold.

• They participated in a giant (one-hour karaoke) and gave them the opportunity to experience first hand what ‘life's for sharing' is all about.

• In less than 2 weeks they already have over 480k views on youtube

@TejDesai

Result

• More than 13500 people gathered in Trafalgar Square – thinking they could be dancing - no-one had any idea how the event would unfold.

• They participated in a giant (one-hour karaoke) and gave them the opportunity to experience first hand what ‘life's for sharing' is all about.

• In less than 2 weeks they already have over 480k views on youtube

@TejDesai

World’s no 1 Viewed video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

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WITH OVER 1.2 BILLION VIEWS!!!!

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SO WHY DID IT GO VIRAL?

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@TejDesai

And at the same time…

• Catchy Music

• Entertaining / Fun

• Relevant Message : Anti-Materialism theme

• Timing: Recession

• Actions speak louder than words– Despite that the key words Wop…wop … Gangnam Style is

understood my most!

• Fairly well-known in Korea

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And at the same time…

• Reasonably good production values, featuring Popular comedians, rising young singer, Korea’s Got Talent winner

• Leggy Koreans

• Unexpectedness: ‘What the hell’-ness of the video

• Most importantly, the content is shareable!

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AND ACCORDING TO YOUTUBE…

@TejDesaiKevin Allocca, Google

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpxVIwCbBK0

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Another recent viral video

Over 10 million views in 10 monthshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSl8gWsFZ0

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Another recent viral video

Over 18 million views in less than a monthhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_miGclPFGs

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THUS THERE IS NO REAL FORMULA!

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@TejDesai

Just a few fundamentals…

• Online support/integration amplifies viralability/WOM

• Human beings are emotional animals

• We respond to emotions generated by specific cues: Leverage Humour, Absurdity, Surprise, Shock, Intrigue to name a few

• Content, like contagion spreads through Audience Networks by harnessing the links between people

• The more random the connections between social clusters, the better the chance that a piece of media will achieve super distribution.

@TejDesai

Just a few fundamentals…

• However the underlying virality is very different to traditional marketing

• It is NOT enough to merely persuade someone to pay attention

• They have to be motivated enough to risk their own personal brand by becoming your advocate!

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THUS, LET US CHANGE OUR THINKING FROM MAKING

‘VIRAL’ CAMPAIGNS

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TO

EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGNS THAT

GO VIRAL!

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Thank You!- Tej Desai

Interactive & Engagement DirectorLoweMENA