Viral Marketing

The Internet is a physical and electronic network. It is also a network on a much more human scale (Phillips and Young, 2009).

It was the reading based on viral public relations (PR) which caught my eye this week, slightly off topic from the lectures but an eye-opener nonetheless. I have always been intrigued as to what makes something go viral online and if there are specific criteria or techniques which can be followed. Thus, this post will firstly define and explain the term ‘viral marketing’ and secondly, contextualise it into the online communications practice, providing relevant examples of choice.

Viral marketing is a technique whereby information about a product is passed electronically from one Internet user to another (Oxford Dictionary, 2010). Viral campaigns are stemmed through ‘word-of-mouth’ or more appropriately ‘word-of-mouse’, credibility that links directly to the origins and existence of PR.

However, from carrying out wider research, I believe the word ‘viral’ is not most appropriate for defining the concept. Instead, we can describe the idea as a memes - a cultural unit, often a video, an image or a story that spreads rapidly across the web, passed mainly from person to person (Brown, 2009). The content is usually based around humour, rumour or insight. Interestingly, the term was originally coined to describe how Darwinian principles could explain the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. Dawkins (2006) argued that memes propagate themselves in societies in a way that is similar to the behaviour of a gene or virus.

Memes depend on voluntary action, in the sense that people must find something either; interesting, entertaining or shocking enough for them to pass it on to others through social media, email, blogs and so on (Horton, 2002). In any event, the meme peters, but if successful, it reaches thousands if not millions of people.

Thanks the introduction of social media, sharing has become incredibly easy, often at the click of a button. For communications professionals, it is this instantaneous nature that is most attractive. If and when an idea takes off, it can propel a company or brand into never seen before fame and fortune, for free! The challenge is for marketers and PR practitioners to harness the amazing power of a meme. There are people who preach about ‘viral’ campaigns and agencies that even specialise in the area. However, the reality is most organisations that set out to go viral, fail. The few that succeed can be described as “happy accidents” due to their unpredictable nature.

A meme includes randomness. Its success cannot be predicted and neither can whom it goes out to (Horton, 2002). I believe it is a mistake to enter into a campaign with viral marketing as the central feature. That is not to say that it is impossible to deliver, but exceptionally difficult. A PR campaign’s duty is to deliver return on investment, this must be guaranteed. To imply that a piece of material or video clip will achieve viral status at the outset of a campaign is similar to guaranteeing that the campaign will be of national award-winning quality before ideas have even been brainstormed (Brown, 2009).

The ideas espoused by Malcolm Gladwell (2000) in his book The Tipping Point are interesting to say the least. Some people are ‘hubs’, they are well connected. On the other hand, some people are influencers (respected bloggers, journalists, key figures). Therefore, to spread an idea, one that is ‘sticky’, PR practitioners must target the 'influencers', who are gatekeepers to the mass market. However, the content must be appropriate and relevant to the influencer. It is a PR practitioner’s job to get the content published, classic case of media relations.

A ‘viral’ identified:

Incredibly, if you chuck a Mentos sweet into a bottle of Diet Coke, you get a ‘marketing’ explosion. Scientifically, the mint/cola combination triggers a geyser that sprays ten feet or more. The phenomenon was popularised in video experiments produced by Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz on their eepybird Web site. The initial ‘hype’, stimulated by online interest, led to a final creation by the pair titled “What happens you combine 200 litres of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints?” Web audiences were mesmerised by the result, causing a classic viral sensation. In a mere 3 weeks, four million people viewed the video and hundreds of bloggers had written about it. The footage also attracted a wealth of media attention with Grobe and Volz appearing on Late Night with David Letterman and The Today Show.



The brand exposure for Mentos was astronomical and even more so considering there was no cost involved. The price tag to get results of this scale from traditional marketing and PR might have accumulated to tens, if not hundreds of million dollars (Scott, 2010).

Things for communications professionals to consider when devising a campaign which aims to go viral:

- Quirkiness: People like things that are different and slightly offbeat. For an idea to be meme, it must turn heads and attract attention on a mass scale.
- Humour: Ideas that make people laugh are those to be treasured. They have the ability to spread like wildfire, through email and social media as well as many other digital platforms.
- The shock factor: As humans, we are forever demanding substance that goes beyond what we have witnessed before. An idea that is truly shocking is one that millions will want to be a part of.
- Home made: It is often the natural, low budget work that becomes most popular. Authenticity should be at the core of an idea if it is to become viral.

In conclusion, memes or ‘viral marketing’ should be dealt with a degree of scepticism and taken with a pinch of salt. Digital PR specialists will often be asked by clients to assist them with online viral marketing and whilst we cannot promise to deliver memes as part of a PR campaign, we should be able to recognise them and to facilitate their development. However, one must always bear in mind that like the Mentos/Coca Cola example, something may go viral that an organisation didn’t start and it may show products in a positive or negative light. Take United Airlines for example. No thanks to the ‘viral effect’, they are now known as the airline that breaks guitars. Thus, a meme can be detrimental as well as positive for organisational reputation.