I love how Seth Godin defines viral marketing. It’s a simple, straight-forward explanation, and it goes something like this:
Viral marketing is an idea that spreads–and an idea that while it is spreading actually helps market your business or cause. Because the currency of our future is ideas- the idea virus mechanism is how those ideas propagate.
His 12 year-old book on viral marketing “Unleashing the ideavirus” is still one of the most sought-after and relevant resources on the subject. You can read it for free here.
The fact is, technology is one of the best things that has happened to us marketers. Word-of-mouth has taken a whole other dimension. The Internet- with social media, emailing, blogging, IMing, etc.- has served as the ultimate slingshot for the faster spread of our messages.
Here’s a pretty neat Infographic brought to us by ProBlogger and Voltaire that helps us understand the viral content marketing phenomenon. From its anatomy, types, reasons why we share, and how it all comes down to Metcalfe’s Law, it’s all there, so check it out:
Yes, I know. 2011 has flown by. It seems it was only yesterday when saw Google Zeitgeist’s awesome Year in Review for 2010.
On that same spirit, they have recently published this year’s version on their site, where you can check out the trends and searches from all over the world in different categories, such as: Fastest Rising People, Maps, Consumer Electronics, News, Food & Drink, among others. From Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, to the Greek riots, to the Royal Wedding, it brings us marketers a great insight- an overview of how the world moved and what influenced it. Or as Sheila Shayon from Brandchannel says: “Beyond revealing the spirit of the times, it’s also a fascinating local snapshot.”
Here’s a look into the top moments from 2011:
By Maria Elena Moré
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding).
It seems that everyone wants a piece of the viral-sphere nowadays… even Jen Aniston. The potential and impact of brands under this phenomenon makes Smart Water want to direct a “virus” of its own: “I’m here to talk to you about Smart Water. But in this day in age, I just can’t do that, can I?”
The (almost) 3 minute ad features internet sensation Keenan Cahill, references to the Yosemitebear Double Rainbow, Evian’s CGI dancing babies, dogs, a parrot and even an unlucky fan, all for the sake of hits. In the end, she drinks from the bottle and asks her co-producers what they should call the video. The answer? “Jen Aniston’s Sex Tape.” Clearly, they’ll try their hands at everything…
How does this affect or benefit our perception about the water? Could this incessant desire to go viral come out as too needy?
What do you think? Smart idea?
By Maria Elena Moré
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* A big thank you to Rossina Gómez for sending the video…
Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding).
MTV Spain goes public. Literally. The folks of the popular network hit the streets of Madrid in order to ask “Who wants MTV to be open?”, or in other words, who wants the network to be available for viewing without the need of cable TV service. Going around from street to street, the MTV crew posed interesting examples of how people were demonstrating their love and agreement to the idea of the channel going ‘public’. Whether it is because they sat still on a bench, climbed a staircase, or crossed the street, people were definitely caught off guard. And with the help of that funny and witty Spanish sense of humor (which I particularly love), you can’t argue that the video is simply a great idea to spread the news.
Check it out (in spanish):
The result is nothing short of hilarious and extraordinary. This viral video called “MTV’s ‘Encuesta Nacional’” (National Survey), is simply one the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time.
Now that’s what I call being street smart. Enhorabuena.
By Maria Elena Moré
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* Thanks to Edgar Estevez for the news!
Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding).
Saturday, October 9, 2010Categorized under Branding
My previous post dealt with the topic of just how much we listen to our clients – that which gives life to our brand.
Part of my message was that now, more than ever, it is clear that customers want their voice to be heard. They want companies to listen to them. Just like the customer said in “The Break Up” video: “You SAY that you love me, but you don’t BEHAVE like you love me… It’s not genuine!”
I was discussing this topic with my friend Ivan, who drew to my attention the following case:
The year was 2008. Canadian musician David Caroll boarded a flight with United Airlines travelling from Nova Scotia to Nebraska with his fellow band mates, Sons of Maxwell. They noticed how the baggage-handling crew handled the guitars as they threw them on the plane. Upon arriving to his destination, he finds his $3,500 Taylor Guitar with a broken neck. Caroll filed a complaint but was informed that he was not eligible for compensation due to the fact that he had not proceeded to do so within the 24 hour time-frame of the airline. Despite endless requests, negotiations lasted nine months.
And then there was a thing called Youtube.
The year is 2009. The month July to be exact. And the day, the 6th. Caroll writes a song called “United Breaks Guitars” and posts the music video on Youtube about his experience. 150,000 views within a day. Three days later, more than 500,000 views. 5 million by mid-August 2009. Today? 9,312,175 views.
Time Magazine named the video as #7 in the list of Top Ten Viral Videos of 2009. According to Upi.com and CBS News, United Airlines spokeswoman Robin Urbanski “even asked Carroll for permission to use the video internally to amend its corporate culture.” Since then, he has acted as a speaker on customer service. The irony? On one of his trips, United lost his luggage. (Apparently the message has not gotten through to him yet…)
The Times newspaper reported that “…within 4 days of the video being posted online, United Airline’s stock price fell 10%, costing stockholders about $180 million in value…”
Consumers have never been as empowered as they are today, and the Internet has been very much responsible for that. Forget consumer protection agencies. The middle-man is being whipped off the chart. People can now say what they need to say in less time and to a bigger audience. And you know what? They can say it right to your face. They are getting used to the ability of expressing their emotions and communicating their experiences with brands on a greater scope than before, consequently having a bigger impact on positioning and brand image. The power of the sum “word-of-mouth + Internet” should never be underestimated.
“The ability of social media to quickly connect one person to the world makes it easier for invested people to create change without a bureaucracy to back them up.” (Sarah Kessler, “Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism” )
As I write this, I notice that I’ve been humming the song the entire time. But all my attempts to get it off my mind have been to no avail. It’s just too funny…
Have a great Saturday, folks!
By Maria Elena Moré
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding).
