If you’re reading this blog, it’s probably no surprise that traditional forms of media are crumbling like bleu cheese all around us. No longer can companies rely on mass advertising to create brand loyalty. Nope. In today’s fast-paced, gotta-have-it yesterday society viral marketing is more than just a buzzword – it’s a revolution.
So why all the hype?
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, “we consumers are becoming evangelists in new and surreptitious ways. Online, we spend quality time with advertising, we star in it and we send it to our friends. We the people have been co-opted into selling ourselves. And we rather like it.�
Self-actualized branding increases the likelihood of viral marketing, which is:
- Cheap – prospects distribute your message for free via “word of mouse�
- Effective – higher click through rates result when messages are sent from a trusted source which means more views and more awareness
Consider some past successes:
www.becomeanmm.com – Individuals log on to create themselves as an M&M (ok, I admit it, I made one too). While this may seem like child’s play, over 1.5 million M&M characters have been created (with an average build time of around 11 minutes) and shared.
www.ageomatic.com – CareerBuilder.com allows users to upload a photo and see what their “soul sucking job is doing� to them.
www.mycadillacstory.com – Devoted owners can upload video of their Cadillac pride.
Are you looking to build buzz for your brand? Take a lesson from these guys and put your prospect front and center and let them market for you.
Andrea,
Great post on viral marketing. I couldn’t agree more.
Though, in my experience, it seems like the hardest part in getting some of these projects off the ground is proving the ROI to clients. On paper it’s hard to make the connection between a childish M