Buzzword Chasers

The constant stream of information that people consume makes it easy to market almost anything; what is difficult is capturing the attention of the desired audience. The more commercials there are, the less they are paid attention to.

Marketing Minus the Middle Man – Made By You, For Your Own Consumption

Many companies are choosing to up their marketing to viral. This is the practice of spreading information in nonconventional ways, so that when it is consumed it is passed on. Many different industries have turned to viral marketing. The convenience of YouTube and Google make putting promotional videos out and getting them viewed very simple. The videos can be made with limited cost, and uploaded and viewed for free.

Viral marketing is a relatively new concept, first truly mastered by Hotmail. They added an invitation to join Hotmail at the end of each email, inexpensively exposing themselves to mass quantities of people. The logic is simple: save money on advertising, gain more exposure through creative avenues.

Warner Bros. Watches You Watching the Watchmen

One of the most pronounced and an intricate viral marketing campaign to be waged was the epic superhero movie, The Dark Knight. There were videos highlighting the story line between Batman Begins and its sequel; false Gotham newspapers were created; short campaign videos and advertisements for characters in the movie; and an interactive scavenger hunt. By involving itself in the life of the consumers, The Dark Knight became more than a movie, it became an event. The in-depth, interactive development and execution of Warner Brother’s viral marketing campaign paid off with the second highest grossing movie of all time.

The Watchmen, which premiers on March 6^th, shows Warner Brother’s perfection of viral marketing. Building off their interactive viral marketing, Warner Bros. led contests where fans following the movie’s production could make commercials for products used in the movie. Videos were put out during production highlighting different aspects like the costume and wardrobe, set design, and different pieces on character exposure.

For Warner Brothers it has become a simple formula: give the people what they want, keep them enticed, keep them following the progress of the movie’s production, and it will yield record breaking results.

Going viral is good for just about any business. Low quality videos from huge names like ESPN, Mentos, and Coca Cola have positively impacted those companies’ exposure and revenue. By offering video contests for the general public, those companies save money on shooting an actual commercial while still increasing awareness and consumption. The key is keeping people involved, keep them interested by the product and they will spread the word about the product.

Ethical Issues

Viral marketing does dance on a line of empowerment and manipulation of the consumer. Word of mouth marketing seems innocent enough, but it has lead companies like Proctor and Gamble to enlist teenagers to spread word of their products to their peer groups. This tactic can dupe people, rather than enticing them. If a person does not disclose the fact that their job is to create buzz for the specific product they are recommending, then their tactics becomes unethical.

Because of the nature of viral marketing and the ever changing technologies, this strategy has the ability to adapt and has the potential for longevity. Similar to other types of marketing, there is also the possibility the general public will become so inundated with viral that they will become desensitized. Until the viral immunization however, it is seems to remain a recipe that almost guarantees success.