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The Ugly Truth About Viral Marketing

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Martafy!
Martafy!

Viral marketing is a 15yo term with a lot of baggage—and we say it's time to kick it to the curb. Sure, you want your video or marketing campaign to "go viral," but viral isn't what a video or campaign is, it's a term that describes how it spreads. And unlike a real virus, which has the mechanism for spreading built right into it, your video is going to have to work a little harder. In this deck, we'll show you how and why.

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THE (UGLY) TRUTH ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING. LIKE, FOR REAL.
VIRUS noun 1. AN INFECTION OR DISEASE CAUSED BY AN INFECTIVE AGENT THAT IS TOO SMALL TO BE SEEN BY LIGHT MICROSCOPE AND IS ABLE TO MULTIPLY ONLY WITHIN THE LIVING CELLS OF A HOST. 2. A HARMFUL OR CORRUPTING INFLUENCE. 3. A PIECE OF CODE THAT IS CAPABLE OF COPYING ITSELF AND TYPICALLY HAS A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT, SUCH AS CORRUPTING THE SYSTEM OR DESTROYING DATA. 2 2
3
4 PHOTO BY M*RTEN ON FLICKR.COM
5 5 PHOTO BY CHIM CHIM ON FLICKR.COM
x 6 6 PHOTO BY BAHMAN ON FLICKR.COM
7 7 PHOTO BY SARIHUELLA ON FLICKR.COM
PLEASE TELL US YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THIS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. 8
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT IS FOR YOUR MARKETING TO SPREAD EXPONENTIALLY, LIKE A VIRUS. RIGHT? 9
CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING noun A METHOD OF PROMOTION THAT RELIES ON CUSTOMERS HELPING TO MARKET AN IDEA, PRODUCT, OR SERVICE BY CHOOSING TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH THEIR FRIENDS. 10
FOR EXAMPLE… 11
FLIP VIDEO CISCO’S LARGEST AD CAMPAIGN TO DATE ASKED REGULAR FOLKS AS WELL AS CELEBRITIES LIKE STEPHEN COLBERT & USHER TO SUBMIT VIDEOS OF THEIR EVERYDAY & UNIQUE MOMENTS SHOT ON FLIP CAMERAS FOR USE IN UPCOMING TV ADS. NOT ONLY DID FLIP’S CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING EFFORT HELP TO CREATE HOURS OF SHARE-WORTHY CONTENT, BUT IT ALSO LED FLIP TO THE TOP CAMCORDER SPOT BY THE END OF 2009, WITH A FIRM GRASP ON 36% OF THE U.S. MARKET. 12
MOUNTAIN DEW MOUNTAIN DEW KICKED OFF THE FIRST DEWMOCRACY CAMPAIGN BY LETTING FANS DESIGN NEW DEW FLAVORS AND PACKAGING. NOW, WITH DEWMOCRACY 2, THE CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING EFFORT HAS FANS SUBMITTING, VOTING ON, & ULTIMATELY SELECTING AND CREATING MOUNTAIN DEW’S NEW TV ADS. MORE THAN 1,000 VIDEOS WERE SUBMITTED, AND DEW'S FACEBOOK FRIENDS INCREASED 500% IN A MATTER OF WEEKS. 13 13
BURGER KING BURGER KING’S WHOPPER SACRIFICE CAMPAIGN INVITED FANS TO DELETE FACEBOOK FRIENDS IN EXCHANGE FOR FREE WHOPPERS. WITHIN 10 DAYS OF THE CAMPAIGN’S DEBUT, THE WHOPPER SACRIFICE APP WAS INSTALLED 60,000 TIMES. TWO WEEKS LATER SOME 85,000 PEOPLE HAD DELETED OVER 230,000 FRIENDS, PROMPTING FACEBOOK TO SHUT THE APP DOWN—AND GARNERING BURGER KING A WHOPPER-SIZE PORTION OF FREE MEDIA COVERAGE. 14
PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT AFTER 23 YEARS OF BUYING HUGE ADS DURING THE SUPERBOWL, PEPSI PASSED ON THE MOST-WATCHED TELEVISION EVENT OF ALL TIME, & ALLOCATED 1/3 OF ITS 2010 MARKETING BUDGET TO THE REFRESH PROJECT, A SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT REWARDS THOSE WITH BIG IDEAS FOR SOLUTIONS TO LOCAL & GLOBAL PROBLEMS. SINCE ITS LAUNCH ON JANUARY 13, 2010, THE PROGRAM HAS RECEIVED OVER 1 BILLION MEDIA IMPRESSIONS, INCLUDING 44 MILLION BLOG POSTS, 70 MILLION TWEETS, & AMASSING 300,000 NEW FACEBOOK FANS. 15
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY PARANORMAL ACTIVITY PUT THE POWER OF MOVIE DISTRIBUTION INTO THE HANDS OF ITS FANS, THROUGH A CAMPAIGN THAT ENCOURAGED & ENABLED THEM TO “DEMAND” THE MOVIE BE BROUGHT TO THEIR CITY. AND IT WORKED. MORE THAN A MILLION DEMANDS LATER, PARANORMAL GARNERED A WORLDWIDE RELEASE & GROSSED NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS. 16 16
BARACK OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN BARACK OBAMA’S 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN USED THE POWER OF SOCIAL & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO ACTIVATE, CONNECT, & EMPOWER MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ISOLATED POCKETS OF GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM BECAME A TIDAL WAVE OF SUPPORT THAT TURNED A LITTLE-KNOWN AFRICAN AMERICAN SENATOR WITH A FUNNY-SOUNDING NAME INTO THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 PHOTO BY TONY THE MISFIT ON FLICKR.COM
VIRAL MARKETING VS. CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING •  ASSUMES PEOPLE ARE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROMOTION PROCESS; MORE “FANS” THAN CONSUMERS. •  ASSUMES PEOPLE ARE PASSIVE “HOSTS” WHO HAVE NO CHOICE •  ASSUMES CONTENT MUST NOT BUT TO PASS ON YOUR MARKETING ONLY BE SHARE-ABLE, BUT ALSO ONCE CONTAMINATED. HIGHLY SHARE-WORTHY. •  ASSUMES THE MARKETING ITSELF •  REQUIRES A DEEP UNDERSTANDING IS SELF-REPLICATING. OF HOW AND WHY PEOPLE SHARE STUFF (AND A WILLINGNESS TO PUT •  REQUIRES THE USE OF TALKING THOSE MOTIVATIONS FRONT AND BABIES, CUTE BABY ANIMALS, CENTER). HALF-NAKED HOTTIES, &/OR MAGIC PIXIE DUST TO SUCCEED… BUT MOSTLY MAGIC PIXIE DUST. 18
YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO WAKE UP WITH YOUR HEAD SEWN TO THE CARPET THAN TO SEE YOUR NEXT MARKETING CAMPAIGN “GO VIRAL.” 19
UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE A STASH OF MAGICAL PIXIE DUST. 20
CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING RELIES ON PEOPLE SHARING STUFF  ABOUT YOUR BRAND WITH THEIR FRIENDS. 21
CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING RELIES ON PEOPLE SHARING STUFF  ABOUT YOUR BRAND WITH THEIR FRIENDS. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THEY DO THAT? 22
1 A DESIRE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. 23
2 A DESIRE TO BELONG. 24
3 A DESIRE TO DO GOOD. 25
4 A DESIRE TO BE NAUGHTY. 26
5 A DESIRE TO BE RECOGNIZED. 27
6 A DESIRE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. 28
THE DEGREE TO WHICH PEOPLE SHARE YOUR STUFF BOILS DOWN TO ONE SIMPLE QUESTION: DOES THE BENEFIT OF SHARING OUTWEIGH THE RISK? 29
WELL, DOES IT? 30
IN SUMMARY, HERE’S OUR VERY SIMPLE FORMULA FOR CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING SUCCESS. 31
1 STOP TRYING TO SPREAD VIRUSES. IN FACT, GO WASH YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW. 32
2 CREATE STUFF THAT PEOPLE WILL WANT TO SHARE. NOT BECAUSE YOU THINK IT’S SUPER CLEVER, BUT BECAUSE IT CATERS TO ONE OF THE SIX REASONS PEOPLE SHARE STUFF ONLINE. 33
3 THINK OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AS “FANS,” NOT “CONSUMERS.” TREAT THEM ACCORDINGLY. 34 PHOTO BY ANIRUDH KOUL ON FLICKR.COM
4 ENABLE, ENCOURAGE, & REWARD SHARING. MAKE IT INSANELY EASY. MAKE IT ABSURDLY FUN. LET PEOPLE COLLABORATE, TINKER, EXPERIMENT, REMIX, REPURPOSE, RECYCLE, AND REINVENT. GIVE YOUR FANS (& FUTURE FANS) A WAY TO GET SOME SKIN IN THE GAME. 35 PHOTO BY JCBEHM ON FLICKR.COM
IF YOU CAN’T FIND ANY MAGIC PIXIE DUST, GIVE US A CALL. Hi, we’re Espresso. Nice to meet you. In case we haven’t made it obvious, we’re a bunch that firmly believes it’s time to stop wasting precious marketing dollars creating ads that people ignore, and focus instead on creating experiences your customers (and prospects) will love. We’re super-committed to doing just that in the most cost-effective way possible—while never losing sight of our relentless pursuit of being Amazing at Life™. SAY HELLO, WHY DON’T YOU? TORONTO Jacquelyn Cyr Chief Executive Officer 416 620 6773 jacquelyn@brandinfiltration.com twitter.com/infiltrators BOSTON Marta Kagan Managing Director, US 617 477 5811 marta@brandinfiltration.com twitter.com/mzkagan brandinfiltration.com
Infiltrate Now! www.brandinfiltration.com

More Related Content

The Ugly Truth About Viral Marketing

  • 1. THE (UGLY) TRUTH ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING. LIKE, FOR REAL.
  • 2. VIRUS noun 1. AN INFECTION OR DISEASE CAUSED BY AN INFECTIVE AGENT THAT IS TOO SMALL TO BE SEEN BY LIGHT MICROSCOPE AND IS ABLE TO MULTIPLY ONLY WITHIN THE LIVING CELLS OF A HOST. 2. A HARMFUL OR CORRUPTING INFLUENCE. 3. A PIECE OF CODE THAT IS CAPABLE OF COPYING ITSELF AND TYPICALLY HAS A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT, SUCH AS CORRUPTING THE SYSTEM OR DESTROYING DATA. 2 2
  • 3. 3
  • 4. 4 PHOTO BY M*RTEN ON FLICKR.COM
  • 5. 5 5 PHOTO BY CHIM CHIM ON FLICKR.COM
  • 6. x 6 6 PHOTO BY BAHMAN ON FLICKR.COM
  • 7. 7 7 PHOTO BY SARIHUELLA ON FLICKR.COM
  • 8. PLEASE TELL US YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THIS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. 8
  • 9. WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT IS FOR YOUR MARKETING TO SPREAD EXPONENTIALLY, LIKE A VIRUS. RIGHT? 9
  • 10. CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING noun A METHOD OF PROMOTION THAT RELIES ON CUSTOMERS HELPING TO MARKET AN IDEA, PRODUCT, OR SERVICE BY CHOOSING TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH THEIR FRIENDS. 10
  • 12. FLIP VIDEO CISCO’S LARGEST AD CAMPAIGN TO DATE ASKED REGULAR FOLKS AS WELL AS CELEBRITIES LIKE STEPHEN COLBERT & USHER TO SUBMIT VIDEOS OF THEIR EVERYDAY & UNIQUE MOMENTS SHOT ON FLIP CAMERAS FOR USE IN UPCOMING TV ADS. NOT ONLY DID FLIP’S CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING EFFORT HELP TO CREATE HOURS OF SHARE-WORTHY CONTENT, BUT IT ALSO LED FLIP TO THE TOP CAMCORDER SPOT BY THE END OF 2009, WITH A FIRM GRASP ON 36% OF THE U.S. MARKET. 12
  • 13. MOUNTAIN DEW MOUNTAIN DEW KICKED OFF THE FIRST DEWMOCRACY CAMPAIGN BY LETTING FANS DESIGN NEW DEW FLAVORS AND PACKAGING. NOW, WITH DEWMOCRACY 2, THE CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING EFFORT HAS FANS SUBMITTING, VOTING ON, & ULTIMATELY SELECTING AND CREATING MOUNTAIN DEW’S NEW TV ADS. MORE THAN 1,000 VIDEOS WERE SUBMITTED, AND DEW'S FACEBOOK FRIENDS INCREASED 500% IN A MATTER OF WEEKS. 13 13
  • 14. BURGER KING BURGER KING’S WHOPPER SACRIFICE CAMPAIGN INVITED FANS TO DELETE FACEBOOK FRIENDS IN EXCHANGE FOR FREE WHOPPERS. WITHIN 10 DAYS OF THE CAMPAIGN’S DEBUT, THE WHOPPER SACRIFICE APP WAS INSTALLED 60,000 TIMES. TWO WEEKS LATER SOME 85,000 PEOPLE HAD DELETED OVER 230,000 FRIENDS, PROMPTING FACEBOOK TO SHUT THE APP DOWN—AND GARNERING BURGER KING A WHOPPER-SIZE PORTION OF FREE MEDIA COVERAGE. 14
  • 15. PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT AFTER 23 YEARS OF BUYING HUGE ADS DURING THE SUPERBOWL, PEPSI PASSED ON THE MOST-WATCHED TELEVISION EVENT OF ALL TIME, & ALLOCATED 1/3 OF ITS 2010 MARKETING BUDGET TO THE REFRESH PROJECT, A SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT REWARDS THOSE WITH BIG IDEAS FOR SOLUTIONS TO LOCAL & GLOBAL PROBLEMS. SINCE ITS LAUNCH ON JANUARY 13, 2010, THE PROGRAM HAS RECEIVED OVER 1 BILLION MEDIA IMPRESSIONS, INCLUDING 44 MILLION BLOG POSTS, 70 MILLION TWEETS, & AMASSING 300,000 NEW FACEBOOK FANS. 15
  • 16. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY PARANORMAL ACTIVITY PUT THE POWER OF MOVIE DISTRIBUTION INTO THE HANDS OF ITS FANS, THROUGH A CAMPAIGN THAT ENCOURAGED & ENABLED THEM TO “DEMAND” THE MOVIE BE BROUGHT TO THEIR CITY. AND IT WORKED. MORE THAN A MILLION DEMANDS LATER, PARANORMAL GARNERED A WORLDWIDE RELEASE & GROSSED NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS. 16 16
  • 17. BARACK OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN BARACK OBAMA’S 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN USED THE POWER OF SOCIAL & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO ACTIVATE, CONNECT, & EMPOWER MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ISOLATED POCKETS OF GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM BECAME A TIDAL WAVE OF SUPPORT THAT TURNED A LITTLE-KNOWN AFRICAN AMERICAN SENATOR WITH A FUNNY-SOUNDING NAME INTO THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 PHOTO BY TONY THE MISFIT ON FLICKR.COM
  • 18. VIRAL MARKETING VS. CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING •  ASSUMES PEOPLE ARE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROMOTION PROCESS; MORE “FANS” THAN CONSUMERS. •  ASSUMES PEOPLE ARE PASSIVE “HOSTS” WHO HAVE NO CHOICE •  ASSUMES CONTENT MUST NOT BUT TO PASS ON YOUR MARKETING ONLY BE SHARE-ABLE, BUT ALSO ONCE CONTAMINATED. HIGHLY SHARE-WORTHY. •  ASSUMES THE MARKETING ITSELF •  REQUIRES A DEEP UNDERSTANDING IS SELF-REPLICATING. OF HOW AND WHY PEOPLE SHARE STUFF (AND A WILLINGNESS TO PUT •  REQUIRES THE USE OF TALKING THOSE MOTIVATIONS FRONT AND BABIES, CUTE BABY ANIMALS, CENTER). HALF-NAKED HOTTIES, &/OR MAGIC PIXIE DUST TO SUCCEED… BUT MOSTLY MAGIC PIXIE DUST. 18
  • 19. YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO WAKE UP WITH YOUR HEAD SEWN TO THE CARPET THAN TO SEE YOUR NEXT MARKETING CAMPAIGN “GO VIRAL.” 19
  • 20. UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE A STASH OF MAGICAL PIXIE DUST. 20
  • 21. CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING RELIES ON PEOPLE SHARING STUFF  ABOUT YOUR BRAND WITH THEIR FRIENDS. 21
  • 22. CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING RELIES ON PEOPLE SHARING STUFF  ABOUT YOUR BRAND WITH THEIR FRIENDS. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THEY DO THAT? 22
  • 23. 1 A DESIRE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. 23
  • 24. 2 A DESIRE TO BELONG. 24
  • 25. 3 A DESIRE TO DO GOOD. 25
  • 26. 4 A DESIRE TO BE NAUGHTY. 26
  • 27. 5 A DESIRE TO BE RECOGNIZED. 27
  • 28. 6 A DESIRE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. 28
  • 29. THE DEGREE TO WHICH PEOPLE SHARE YOUR STUFF BOILS DOWN TO ONE SIMPLE QUESTION: DOES THE BENEFIT OF SHARING OUTWEIGH THE RISK? 29
  • 30. WELL, DOES IT? 30
  • 31. IN SUMMARY, HERE’S OUR VERY SIMPLE FORMULA FOR CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETING SUCCESS. 31
  • 32. 1 STOP TRYING TO SPREAD VIRUSES. IN FACT, GO WASH YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW. 32
  • 33. 2 CREATE STUFF THAT PEOPLE WILL WANT TO SHARE. NOT BECAUSE YOU THINK IT’S SUPER CLEVER, BUT BECAUSE IT CATERS TO ONE OF THE SIX REASONS PEOPLE SHARE STUFF ONLINE. 33
  • 34. 3 THINK OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AS “FANS,” NOT “CONSUMERS.” TREAT THEM ACCORDINGLY. 34 PHOTO BY ANIRUDH KOUL ON FLICKR.COM
  • 35. 4 ENABLE, ENCOURAGE, & REWARD SHARING. MAKE IT INSANELY EASY. MAKE IT ABSURDLY FUN. LET PEOPLE COLLABORATE, TINKER, EXPERIMENT, REMIX, REPURPOSE, RECYCLE, AND REINVENT. GIVE YOUR FANS (& FUTURE FANS) A WAY TO GET SOME SKIN IN THE GAME. 35 PHOTO BY JCBEHM ON FLICKR.COM
  • 36. IF YOU CAN’T FIND ANY MAGIC PIXIE DUST, GIVE US A CALL. Hi, we’re Espresso. Nice to meet you. In case we haven’t made it obvious, we’re a bunch that firmly believes it’s time to stop wasting precious marketing dollars creating ads that people ignore, and focus instead on creating experiences your customers (and prospects) will love. We’re super-committed to doing just that in the most cost-effective way possible—while never losing sight of our relentless pursuit of being Amazing at Life™. SAY HELLO, WHY DON’T YOU? TORONTO Jacquelyn Cyr Chief Executive Officer 416 620 6773 jacquelyn@brandinfiltration.com twitter.com/infiltrators BOSTON Marta Kagan Managing Director, US 617 477 5811 marta@brandinfiltration.com twitter.com/mzkagan brandinfiltration.com