A few days ago I happened to receive an email from a friend suggesting that I watch a “shocking” video. So intrigued, I opened and “admired” it.
The video in question was an incredible Jean-Claude Van Damme grappling with a split, balancing between two pull-ups, that not even a classical dancer would have been able to do. Unimportant to know that the sponsoring brand was Volvo, even more serious to see what the athlete was capable of.
At first, I was totally mesmerized by the perfection of each frame accompanied by sublime music, then, I began to spread it.
Within a week the video, uploaded to YouTube, received more than 30,000,000 hits. This means that millions of people, like me, were attracted to it and thought it would be a good idea to show it around.
This is called sharing genius ideas – advertising-wise – and exponentially expanding the audience via the web, or also called Viral Marketing. Attracting, engaging and spreading with the sole purpose of branching out and passing from rumor to rumor, like a “good” virus is an excellent type of marketing.
The best advertising message is the one that succeeds in making its way into the consumer’s mind, staying rooted for a long time and prompting the user to share it.
Every day we are “bombarded” by a continuous stream of images and videos, unknowingly witnessing a veritable parade of messages, sometimes implicit, that entice us to spend. But on reflection, many commercials die after a short time, leaving nothing behind. In the clear for a few months then they disappear. They made a product known but without shaking or exciting the audience. Some will say“I have to sponsor pasta mica world peace … what can I do with ’emotion … that doesn’t pay!” This is true, emotion does not always pay … in money, but with other valuable elements that should not be underestimated. If it were possible to wring a smile or, better yet, a laugh at the same time, it would not be bad at all. The reputation of the brand itself depends on it. Today, as yesterday, it is important to communicate but never, as in recent years, is it important to do so with images. Fossilizing yourself on one method of advertising means clinging to old rules and not loving your craft at all.
Now is the time to save money and do it the right way. Not traditional advertising but real outreach by the users themselves using the Internet as a vehicle, without cost and without limits.
Users, more or less voluntarily, suggest a particular service by posting it on Social or via email.
If a video is liked, it will be spread, regardless of the product being promoted. The users will decide.
How to create a “viral” message?
Viral marketing is a really smart and, if we may say so, very clever strategy. If we stop and think about it, we realize that it is one of the best ways to be able to spread an idea/product/brand without having to spend huge amounts of money on advertising. Why waste money when I can spread my video on the web without spending anything or almost anything? All it takes is the help of friends to give the input to share and that’s it; it will start to go through the web meshes and get more and more views. It is immensely powerful; it can usually have 500/1000 times more impact than regular advertising. By the way, what will happen to it? Regular advertising will have to submit to these new demands, creating attractive and likeable videos that can attract attention and, only as a last resort, present the product. Making an unconventional, entertaining and engaging commercial will only add value to the brand itself. Consumers can be proud of having bought a product, since it is widely advertised.
A good marketing campaign is capable of getting users’ attention by posting interesting content online, stimulating curiosity and “invincible” word of mouth. Conclusion.
What are the main elements to be able to create a message that can impress and push for sharing?
Thrill and engage. To create a video that strikes a chord and prompts people to share it, it is necessary to have no filter and to arouse feelings in the viewer, love or hate, happiness or sadness, it doesn’t matter, as long as they feel something. Impartiality. Like an omniscient narrator, tell the facts as you see them, without political or religious ulterior motives. Your role should not shine through. With the Web, make yourself a vehicle for a message in a neutral capacity. Unexpected. If the goal is to get the campaign noticed, you need to surprise and amaze with words, episodes, and gestures that people do not expect. Snatching a smile, a tear or even a healthy laugh is more important than just sponsoring. No Direct Advertising. Don’t be clever. It is known that behind the hype is the push to buy but it is better to be able to disguise it as much as possible. Viral marketing is not just spreading the sponsor, otherwise it would just be marketing, but it is concerned with spreading like wildfire implicitly. Let’s not be hypocritical, the product is important but it does not have to be the focus. Spreading without cost and without limits. Viral marketing revolves around sharing so, once you have created an important video, the last thing you need to do is to initiate a nice chain share that can reach mind-boggling numbers. How?
- place it in the media, blogs, social … in short, every channel;
- Give the opportunity to share and download it without tedious registration or compilation;
- Encourage comments and interaction at all times, good and bad.
Knowing how to sell is important, but knowing how to do it implicitly and absolutely naturally is even more important. The world likes to share, people like to exchange ideas, and we like viral marketing.
