Does Your Digital Marketing Have a Virus?

Not so long ago, the word "viral" conjured negative images of disease and pestilence. However, in the second half of the 90's, "viral" started to become a homonym when the phrase "viral marketing" was first uttered.


Today, viral marketing is potentially the most effective product advertising available, yet, there is no Viral Marketing for Dummies book at your local bookstore. You won't find Viral Marketing 101 on your college syllabus and you can't just call a meeting to decide what your next viral marketing project will be. 


Marketing messages that "go viral" are elusive, and often come as a surprise. Consider Blendtec's wildly popular Will It Blend campaign.  These video's of Blendtec blenders chewing up just about everything you can imagine receive millions of hits. My favorite is the iPhone4s, with Siri telling the blender "You are making a terrible error." (see below)  This campaign is brilliant in its' creativity and simplicity.  I'm positive that Blendtec didn't have a "How to Make a Viral Product Video" guide when they made the very first video.  So how did they do it?  Why did it work?


Blendtec understood that you have to connect with consumers in a memorable way, and this connection should enforce your product values, but not overtly SELL your product.  When consumers feel like they are being "sold to" they frequently tune out.  But when you can entertain or educate your audience while building brand affinity - then you have the chance to go viral.