Joe Gohari
English 2150
Professor Graves
Viral Marketing
According to research at least 60% of businesses, today use viral marketing as a way of promoting their products. Viral marketing is that which can generate enough interest and potential sale of a product or brand through messages that are spread rapidly among people. The idea behind viral marketing is to get people to choose to share content in their social networks. In the internet, viral videos and content spread first making it easy for organizations to make their products and services campaigns easy. To go viral, content needs to be well designed through a viral strategy by putting in a high level of creativity. Through virality, marketers have passed messages across platforms and made their ideas reach a global audience. While virality of content is an important aspect in spreading these messages, certain aspects of the viral marketing campaigns are considered if it is to get viral enough to spread the idea or message intended.
With virality, people have been able to get messages and information to a vast number of people and even reach the global audience. Virality is the tendency of a piece of information, image or a video to be rapidly shared among users of the internet by person to person circulation without the quality being affected Virality (Tucker, 286). The quality of being viral is, therefore, the bases of virality as a given item or piece of information requires to be popularized by progressive sharing through the internet and especially in social media. Accordingly, viral bases businesses are those that depend on the virality of their content to make sales. This is a clever way of marketing that is utilized by digital marketers that often does not have cost implications. Such famous social media giants such as Logan Paul and David Dobrik utilizes virality and the acceptability of their content by the huge fan base to sell merchandise (Wortham, 1). This idea has also attracted large companies who aim to achieve virality in such advertisements as signs and commercials. By capitalizing on virality, some YouTube personalities have made thriving businesses that rake in money.
Adoption of a viral marketing campaign is usually a simple task that does not require training or any other type of process to make successful. It involves the creation of a video, message, picture or any other type of content and putting it to the internet and developing the initial actions that would make it move fast. From there, the marketer has to wait and hope that the content will start getting shared by the users and benefit his/her product or brand. According to Tucker, (294) virality happens by accident when a private user uploads a video that will get attraction from others and begin to circulate all around the internet through sites. However, for a video created by a brand, it cannot rely on luck and hence must have a strategy. To ensure the message is dispersed, there is a two-focus point, the show and the concealed. The shown involve the part of creativity where the maker of the video or any other content makes it interesting to attract viewers and retain his ability to sell. While the content viewer is aware that they are viewing an advertisement, they may not know immediately until at some point towards the end. In the concealed, the participation of the brand is hidden and revealed at the very end of the content. Concealing brand identity of promotional content ensures that people do lose interest due to preconceived ideas and attitude towards the brand due to past experiences (Tucker, 290). This will help gain much-needed viewing from targeted audiences.
Whether by luck or through conscious deliberate actions, viral marketing has three major characteristics. These are the message, the messier and the environment for interaction. To create a successful viral marketing campaign, each of these parts must be leveraged. The message refers to the viral marketing campaign wishes to send to the audience. It also includes the accompaniments and any emotions that the marketer wishes to elicit through the message. The massager is the media through which the viral campaign will be spread, and it may include word of mouth, internet or even other media such as television and radio. Finally, the environment encompasses the way in which to interact with the audience including the use of social media, and how people react to the message. Viral marketing involves changing these three elements to sell a product or a brand to potential customers in a manner that results in most benefits for an organization.
In a peer review article published in the journal of advertising research, Phelps et al. (339) look at the motivation’s attitudes and behavior that make it easy to develop effective viral marketing campaigns. The main idea behind viral marketing is having an idea that would initiate and pass along viral messages mainly using email. Consequently, it follows the behavior and motivations of those who pass email messages along making them viral. According, the author finds out that in order for an individual to decide to share an email or any content, he must not only understand it but also find it interesting. Another important factor that affects to pass along a message is the social contract of reciprocity norm. The reciprocity doctrine that when someone does something to you, you have the obligation to return the favor is key to passing along of messages Phelps et al. (345). Experiencing positive emotions is cited as a key determinant of pass-along messages. For a consumer of a viral message to send it, it must have some relevance.
The ability of content to rapidly gather traction and be shared widely multiple times is the bases of viral business and marketing. Viral content is one that can be picked up from a multitude of others by users of social media and start spreading. To achieve this, it must have certain qualities that prompt users to share it. According to Tucker, (282) most viral contents comes from a lot of work combined with timing and a little sprinkle of luck. Just like in making a dish, the recipe to the best one lies in trial and error. However, there are some characteristics that increase the possibility of content to go viral on the internet.
Just like the social media platforms where they are shared, viral pictures, videos, messages and other media are often interruptive. According to Jaber (184), the attention span of people has been on a downward spiral as it reduces to that of a goldfish. Accordingly, they may not stay long enough to get the message of a video or text if it is too long. Moreover, people do not go to Facebook or YouTube to such for content that is viral. Instead, the content interrupts the real activity in social media and must break the noise to get the attention of users. The content must hence be short enough to attract and retain attention till the end and allow the delivery of the entire message to users of social media. Consequently, whether it is a video, text or a GIF, it should be short. For a picture, shortness means not having a lot of information on one page.
As noted, while viral content and promotional messages are not the reason why people visit social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Instead, they interrupt the normal browsing and using the platform and people often have the option of bypassing them (Botha, 164). Consequently, they ought to be interesting enough not only to capture the attention of the user but also make them give time enough to see what is within. Interesting videos, pictures or text can break through all the noise of social media and attract the attention of the user to view them in full or the most part. On the other hand, if the content is boring, people may not only decline to watch and share it, they may complain of the interruption. For example, boring interruptive videos on YouTube will receive dislikes and negative comments by users. People may opt to stop seeing a video on YouTube due to excess interruption. One way that marketing content can capture the interest of people is by including a celebrity Southgate et al., (349). Consequently, this should be considered while making content with the intent of going viral.
The attention of a video or any other content gets is useless if viewers do not get the message intended by the maker. A message that is simply clear and succinct works great for viral content. Just like in a blog post where the attraction of attention requires sharable content, the message in the promotional message must be understandable to different types of persons using the social media platform. The maker should hence first focus on getting their message across as clearly as possible to ensure it is easy to associate with. Also, for content to go viral, it must create value for people targeted. For content to go value, it must be intrinsically useful to the intended audience. Whether content is informative, educative or entertaining to the audience, it must have some form of help to them. Tom Funk, (15) emphasize on thinking from the audience’s perspective including their needs and interests. Tom Funk has been involved in ecommerce and online marketing since the emergence of the commercial internet in the mid-1990s. A senior marketing manager at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, he has a wealth of experience in social media, online advertising, website usability, and more Funk (vii).
Different factors determine the decision by individuals to watch, like and share content on YouTube and other social media sites. In investigating the role emotions play in viral video sharing, Botha and Mignon (170) found a link between the level of emotions contained in a video and the number shares and likes it gets on Facebook. Accordingly, emotions are a powerful tool for creating content for viral marketing campaigns. People have a strong tendency to share emotional feelings. Consequently, content that triggers more emotions is likely to be shared than that which does not elicit emotions. However, while it is useful to use emotions, the choice of emotions one chooses for their viral marketing campaign is equally important. According to Phelps et al. (346), the most primed content for viral sharing is that which creates positive emotional experiences. While negative emotions have been praised for catching the attention of users of the internet and social media, research shows that positive emotions are more likely to be shared than undesirable ones. Among the top ten most desired emotions that prompt the necessity for sharing among users of social media include amusement, interest, surprise, happiness, joy, hope, delight, pleasure, affection and excitement. This explains the virality of the video, Chewbacca Mom which holds the record of being the most shared on Facebook.
Another characteristic of emotions that affects the virality is paring of contrasting emotions. While people are inclined to share positive experiences, complex emotions derive additional sharing. Contrasting emotions are important in improving the impact of responses including likes, comments and shares. Contrasting negative and positive emotions are specifically useful in increasing the number of shares video gets. This blend of experiences keeps the audience sharing a video and makes it viral.
The element of surprise is an important component of viral content as it is what grabs the attention of the audience. The surprise is the emotional component that appeals most in images. Audiences are increasingly likely to share content that contains something unexpected novel or counterintuitive (Funk, 13). The surprise is constantly alluring and increases the chances of people enjoying a given artefact. Showing something in a new way, adding a unique angle or giving an interesting topic raises the likelihood of a promotional idea going viral. One video that went viral by incorporating the element of surprise is the Instagram campaign dubbed, ‘Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll’. This was a surprise video that captured the attention of Instagram community by showing the role of drugs in concert festivals. Through this simple surprise, the video made a break in the platform and even spilt on Facebook.
While creative attributes of content increase its ability to derive virality, it may not automatically result in expected results. Measures should then be taken to predict the possibility of a video or any other promotional message to go viral. Southgate et al., (349) proposes for pretesting measures for videos before posting them online to determine whether they will generate flow. Such measures as the level of enjoyment are important from determining whether people will share the given video or just let it flow through without response. Moreover, there are tools that can be used to measure the viral potential of content meant for marketing if it is to go viral. One tool that can be used by content makers to determine the potential to go viral is Millward Brown LinkTM solution. This tool has been used for a time by leading advertisers to measure the possibility of their videos to go viral. By providing for a measure to determine the potential for virality, marketers can effectively create a platform for ensuring the content does and there are potential consumers and spreaders of the concept in the social media platform they wish to use.
Viral marketing is used as either a stand-alone tool for promoting products and services or as part of a larger marketing mix involving multiple strategies. It is especially attractive to small businesses and start-up that need to create an audience for themselves without using extreme budgets. Most notable viral marketing approaches involve the creation of videos and GIFs. For example, the Coca-Cola Company has relied on the use of viral videos to incline its audience towards taking drinks from its brand. The company makes videos that focus on the experience of a person who drinks Coca-Cola branded drinks. For example, in one of the adverts, an individual who is seemingly not capable of taking on bicycle riding takes a coke and gets the magic power that enhances his ability to take on the task.
In most cases, viral marketing is carried out in conjunction with other methods of marketing. One good example where viral marketing was used to improve the effects of other marketing strategy is the Blair Witch Project. Here, the producers released a viral video which created a buzz about the story long before it was released on paid commercials, trailers and posters and other traditional methods. With people already talking about the movie before it was released, the cost of the advertisement was significantly reduced.
While there is often a need to create a relatively popular concept, the main success factor to viral marketing is the ability to connect with the audience. Successful viral marketing requires an understanding of how to connect with a given group based on demographics by giving them valuable content. As a viral marketing campaign is a customer focused, the very first step is to identify the demographic group that is being targeted by the content. From here, the marketer will decide what this demographic group values most from the product or service which means a proper collection and analysis of data. For example, in making the highly successful Blair Witch Campaign, the main reference point and group that guided the viral marketing campaign were filming student. By examining what made horror movies compelling for teens and young adults, the marketers were able to identify what would make them view and share content in a viral mode to ensure reach to many people. Also, understanding demographics enable viral marketers to identify the place they would take their social media campaigns including the internet, television, word of mouth among others and the type of media including pictures, text, banners, videos and GIFs they would use.
After understanding the target group and their interests including how they prefer sharing, the marketer goes directly to content creation. Messages board, creation of websites and fake news stories are among the methods marketers often use to get the audience to share their stories either through discussions, sharing. All these involve jump-starting the campaign to make people believe of its importance. For example, in the promoting of the Avengers infinity war movies, Marvels studio got people interested by having the actors invited into reality television shows, creating short memes of previous movies and creation of major scene views. Such content encouraged people to look up of for information about the film and share with their friends who are interested in the movie. These measures jumpstart the campaign and make it easy to go along with.
While viral marketing often eliminates the need for a continuous effort to promote the product, it should be a continuous interactive process. A company implementing a viral marketing campaign does not just let it run the course without any adjustment. Instead, to be effective, the marketer should remain active and make stringent efforts to follow up on the process and ensure it gets to the right audience. This includes interacting with the audience and creating a form of engagement and watching out for possible negativities in the campaign. A marketing campaign should grow along with the interests of a product or a service that it promotes (Tucker, 286). The marketer must hence never rest all through the process until the relevance of the viral campaign ends.
There are several benefits associated with viral marketing through the use of creative videos and other resources. Most important of these is the ability to reach people from a large number of places. A viral video or picture on the internet can reach a huge international audience without a lot of effort coming from the company. Good examples of viral campaigns that went global include ‘Selfies on iPhone X’ which related to people during isolated times. The integrated experience also made sharing more possible as people sought to identify themselves with the content.
Another major advantage of viral marketing is the low cost involved. Viral marketing is characterized by users doing most part of the work which significantly cuts the costs of dispersion. The marketer only worries about the cost of making the picture, message or video, posting it and making initial views. From there, he leaves the rest of the work to users of social media and other platforms where the video can be shared. It is not necessary to buy space and advertising on media which would otherwise have enormous costs implications.
Thirdly, viral marketing is non-invasive as the decision to share comes from the user who must make a conscious decision to engage in it. This is unlike sponsored content and other ads where content is forced on users of the internet and social media. Due to this characteristic, the brand perception and interaction is significantly improved. This not only increases the brand relationship with the potential customer but also the potential to make sales through conversion. Consequently, viral marketing is a great way to build an organization brand. By making users decide to share content, it creates a personal connection with the brand. It is hence an extremely powerful tool for branding and awareness.
While the use of viral marketing as the bases of business has the benefits of reaching many people within limited time without using many resources, it also has some negative aspects and risks. One risks that come with this procedure of business dealings is the possibility of association with infamous people and groups. As the bases of viral marketing are the transfer of a message from one individual or group to another, it may reach people that one does not wish to be associated with. Sharing content by such people may devalue the business as people tend to associate the video with parties involved in sharing (Vijaykumar, 657). This may not only cause challenges with the marketing campaign but also the brand promoted therein.
Another important factor is the ethical concern that comes with sharing with people who disinterested in content. Today, people are concerned with their privacy and the possibility of attracting spam through the sharing of viral content. For example, on Facebook, sharing one image or video by a given company often result in the company dumping all their ads on one’s account. This discourages people from sharing and attracts a penalty from privacy violation. Viral video businesses must be vigilant of privacy violation as it can bring about the downfall of an entire business (Vijaykumar, 667). There is also a loss of control of a viral video by the creators especially once it has been released and shared by people on social media. This is dangerous if there are issues with the video. Moreover, the video is prone to editing and incorporation of possibly offensive content that can affect the brand.
In conclusion, viral marketing involving the use of well-designed and creative content to promote products or brand is a brilliant new method of conducting business in the 21st century. It involves creating content from normal daily encounters and incorporating certain characteristics that would not only make people view but also share them. Viral marketing is used by marketers to attract customers and sell their products. However, to acquire virality, one needs to create content with certain characteristics. Viral content must first be short and interesting to stand out from the noise in social media and attract the necessary attention of users of these platforms. After capturing people’s emotions, it should also have the capacity to give value. Emotions are important to the content’s ability to be shared among viewers. Positive emotions and a blend of emotions are the most significant predictors of virality of promotional messages. Both small and large organizations use viral campaigns for their marketing. Among those that have shown significant yield include Coca-Cola. Apart from ensuring the characteristics of content can enhance virality, one should also use tools such as to predict virality. Low cost and increased brand awareness are the major benefits accruing from the adoption of viral marketing campaigns. Finally, viral marketing should beware and look out for possible risks such as spamming, and privacy issues related to virality.