The goal of viral marketing is to use consumer-to-consumer as opposed

to company-to-consumer communications

- to disseminate information about a product.

Viral vs. Traditional

The Consumer-oriented Marketing Approach

Founded in 2004 in order to advance consumer-oriented marketing techniques

and to make consumer-driven campaigns an integral part of every brand’s

advertising budget mix.

Viral vs. Traditional

Viral Advertising – Defined: Unpaid, peer-to-peer (personal) communication of provocative content originating from an identified sponsor using the Internet to persuade or influence the audience to pass along the content to others.

Advertising – Defined :

Viral vs. Traditional

Advertising – Defined :

Viral Marketing vs. WOM

From – "word-of-mouth”WOM

To – "word-of-mouse”eWOM

The rumor effect

The most ancient form of advertising

Advertising And Convergence

Print

Visual

AudioRadio

Audio/VisualTV

Audio/Visual/Interactive

Internet

Word-of-Mouth (WOM)

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Trust and Acceptance of Different Types of Media Advertising

Source: PlanetFeedback, April 2003

Word-of-mouth is the most reliable form of advertising.

The difference between viral marketing and WOM is one of cause and effect.

Viral marketing – which might take the formof influencer marketing programs, community-building portals, viral videos and street-level guerilla campaigns – builds awareness and buzz; it’s the cause.

Positive WOM - which theoretically leads to trial and acquisition - is the effect.

Viral Marketing vs. WOM

Unintentional dissemination does not involve consumer willingness or awareness to promote the brand.

Ex. Hotmail (“Get Your Private, Free E-mail at http://www.hotmail.com”). Hence, users sending e-mails from a Hotmail account automatically promote the service to every person they send a message to. Launched in July 1996, 12 million users signed-up for Hotmail within 2 years. The marketing budget over the same period of time was only $500,000.

Intentional Viral Marketing

Intentional Viral Marketing

Intentional viral marketing occurs when consumers willingly become promoters of a product. They are driven to do so either through an explicit incentive (financial or other) or simply out of a desire to share the product benefits (e.g., fun, valuable …)

As examples, PayPal, by providing financial incentive to have members recommend members, acquired more than three million users in its first nine months of operation, while ICQ, a free instant-messaging service, offered an option to invite one's friends automatically. 12 million from 1996 to 1997

Why Viral Advertising

Viral Ads add the “WOW” factor to any common product that is not

inherently viral.

Viral AdvertisingPull vs. Push

Traditional advertising is push-based

• We are exposed to over 3,000 marketing messages each day.

• Ads are pushed in our faces everywhere we go (billboards, print, radio, TV…).

Viral advertising is pull-based

• Creativity of the ad propels exposure.

• Focus is on creating an environment in which consumers voluntarily market

to one another, thus becoming “sales agents” of the brand.

• No media buy.

The most cost-effective form of advertising

Video Search Video Search OptimizationOptimizationVideo Search Video Search OptimizationOptimization

What are your objectives?

TargetedTargeted TrafficTraffic

TargetedTargeted TrafficTraffic BuzzBuzzBuzzBuzz

BrandingBrandingBrandingBranding

Call-for-Call-for-actionaction

Call-for-Call-for-actionaction

Viral Viral CampaigCampaig

nn

Video Search Optimization

• YouTube is the #2 search engine, second

to Google.

• Optimize videos so they receive top

ranking.

Results: Targeted traffic to your site for months and years to

come.

Don’t Be Conventional. Give Consumers What They Want…

Viral Advertising Creating an environment where consumers

voluntarily market to one another.

Interruptive Advertising Intrusively “pushing” marketing

messages at consumers.

Push vs. PullConventional vs. Viral Advertising

T h e A d v a n t a g e s o f V i r a l A d v e r t i s i n g

NEW MEDIA(Individual

appeal, Active viewing)

Marketer’s Heaven

• Media-free• Measurable impact• 100% voluntary• Peer-to-peer endorsement• No geographical boundaries• Immediate “call-for-action”• Unregulated/uncensored • Individual appeal • Self-targeted• Lives forever

OLD MEDIA

(Social appeal, Passive viewing)

THE BUILDING BLOCK

MemeThe “catchy” idea in the concept of every viral campaign that makes it self-propagate among surfers. The meme is the creative engine that drives ad.

Examples: Jokes that spread like wildfire, smart pithy sayings, works of art, catchy lyrics, rumors, concept of God…

Other names: Thought contagion, ideavirus, catchy.

Science: Memetics

* “The Selfish Gene”, Richard Dawkins, 1976.

Catchy Creative

Humor/Funny

Sexy

Artistic

Original

Emotional

Provocative

Thought-provoking

Punchy with a twist

Short and to the

point

Key Viral Elements:

The catchy creative concept must contain one or more of these

essential viral elements.

Viral MarketingHow it all started?

- How the term “viral marketing” was coined?- Is it a misnomer or just good copywriting?

Seeding & TrackingPeer-to-peer email forwarding

Profile of the “Seeders” (”Sneezers”)

• The first of the video distribution chain.

• Opinion leaders and web trend setters.

• Not motivated by money.

• Distribute “quality” which helps them build their “cool” image.

• Need to have “good stuff” others haven’t seen yet – thus will lose interest if

they think others have seen it before – they have to be first in distribution

cycle.

• Their accreditation derives from the quality of data they distribute.

Source: “Unleashing the Ideavirus” / Seth Godin

T h e W o r k P r o c e s s

Consumer-driven AdvertisingSelf-Targeting Mechanism

First and foremost, the creative concept ensures that ads

propagate to its designated audience.

Further targeting can be achieved by choosing the right

seeding platforms.

Seeding & TrackingWeb-exclusive video content sites

Koolanoo.comSupport Your People

KOOLANOOSupport Your People

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2006

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2006

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2006

11/1/

2006

12/1/

2006

1/1/

2007

2/1/

2007

3/1/

2007

4/1/

2007

5/1/

2007

6/1/

2007

Months

Vie

ws

Six months after the Sept. 2006 launch, the viral got a second wind.

ISRAEL MINISTRY OF TOURISMWorld Cup

World Cup

Distribution was adversely affected by 2nd Lebanese War.

Ministry of TourismWorld Cup

0

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40000

60000

80000

100000

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140000

03

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Cease Fire

James Allen

JamesAllen.com

Alexa Ranking indicating launch of the campaign.

launch

www.JamesAllen.com

Merck (Helphairloss.com)

Views to Visits Correlation

Self-targeting mechanism

30%

54%

54% increase in branded sections (where you need to agree to a disclaimer in order to get more details)

The self-targeting mechanism built into consumer-driven campaign worked.

30% increase in visits to site

Buzz Creation

84

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800

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Google.com Google.co.il

Feb March

Recommended Reading

The Selfish Gene, Richards Dawkins, 1976.

Grapevine: New Art of Word of Mouth Marketing, Dave Balter and John Butman.

Thought Contagion, How Beliefs Spread Through Society, Aaron Lynch, 1999.

Unleashing the IdeaVirus, Seth Godin, 2001.

The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, 2002.

Academic Studies (1)

From Subservient Chickens to Brawny Men: A Comparison of Viral Advertising to Television Advertising (2005)

Creative Strategies in Viral Advertising :An application of Taylor’s six-segment message strategy wheel (2006)

Lance PorterLouisiana State University

Guy J. Golan Louisiana State University

URL: jiad.org/vol6/no2/porter

© 2006 Journal of Interactive Advertising

Academic Studies (2)

URL: jiad.org/vol6/no2/porter

© 2006 Journal of Interactive Advertising

FormatFortune 500Non Fortune 500

TV62%38%

Viral40%60%

Analysis of 501 Ads

235 TV Ads from www.advertisementave.com266 Viral Ads from WOMMA

Academic Studies (3)

Based on the seminal study on viral advertising by Porter and Golan (2005) and based on previous studies on Taylor’s six segment message strategy wheel (1999), the current study will present the following research questions:

RQ#1: What advertising appeals were most frequently used in viral advertisements?

RQ#2: What were the advertising functions of the viral ads?

RQ#3: Do viral advertisements base their creative message strategies on the ritual strategy more than they do on the transmission message strategy?

RQ#4: Which of six segments on Taylor’s wheel were most commonly used in viral advertisements?

RQ#5: Did different product categories use different messages strategies in viral ads?

Advertising Objective (4)

URL: jiad.org/vol6/no2/porter

© 2006 Journal of Interactive Advertising

FormatBrandingCall for action

Provide information

Total

Television ads

197 (84%)4 (2%)34 (14%)235 (100%)

Viral ads224 (84%)10 (4%)32 (12%)266 (100%)

Total421 (84%)14 (3%)66 (13%)501 (100%)

Appeal in Viral Advertising (5)

Table 1. Appeals used in viral advertisements (n=360)Advertising AppealFrequencyPercentage

Humor328 91%

Sexuality10128.1%

Violence5214.4%

Children4612.8%

Animals6417.8%

Function in Viral Advertising (6)

Advertising FunctionCurrent Study n=360Porter & Golan (2005) n=266

Branding252 (70%)224 (84%)

Call for action53 (14.8%)10 (4%)

Provide information55 (15.3%)32 (12%)

Table 2. Advertising function in viral advertisements

frequencypercentage

Transmission View8323%

Ritual View21058.3%

Combination 6718.6%

Total360100%

Ritual vs. Transmission View (7)

Table 3. Ritual vs. Transmission views

frequencypercentage

Ration8824.4%

Acute need5916.4%

Routine51.4%

Ego18451%

Social5816.1%

Sensory61.6%

Table 4. Taylor’s six segment strategies in viral ads

As outlined by Taylor’s model (1999), the creative strategy wheel is defined by the transmission and ritual views that are divided into six separate segments.

Transmission View: Creative message based on information.

Ritual View:Creative message based on ego &

need to be part of group. *

* Individual appeal of ads mentioned earlier.

Ritual vs. Transmission (8)

IndustryRitualTransmissionCombinationTotal

NPO41.6% (5)16.6% (2)41.6% (5)100% (12)

Fashion84.6% (11)15.4% (2)0% (0)100% (13)

Food & Beverage66.6% (36)7.4% (4)25.9%(14)100% (54)

Travel33.3% (2)16.6%(1)50% (3)100% (6)

Electronic & Communications46.7% (31)36.3% (24)16.6% (11)100% (66)

Household products50% (7)35.7% (5)14.3% (2)100% (14)

Pharmaceuticals46.8% (15)25% (8)28.2% (9)100% (32)

Alcohol & Tobacco82% (41)4% (2)14% (7)100% (50)

Entertainment & Media65.3% (17)23.2% (6)11.5% (3)100% (26)

Banking30% (3)20% (2)50% (5)100% (10)

Automotive64.1% (25)30.7% (12)5.1% (2)100% (39)

Other44.7% (17)39.5% (15)15.8% (6)100% (38)

Total58.3% (210)23% (83)18.6% (66)100% (360)

Table 5. Ritual vs. Transmission views across product categories

AppealMean SquareFSig.

Sex2.21221.490.000**

Nudity.96711.159.001**

Violence1.4958.965.003*

Humor.001.013.909

Animals .4333.375.067

Children.3783.695.055

Animation1.24914.789.000**

*Significant at the .05 level, **significant at the 0.001 level

Type of Advertising Technique: Viral vs. TV Ads (9)

Appeal Across Industries (10)

AppealLikely to useNot likely to use

SexFashion (.62)Pharmaceutical (.39)

Issue Advocacy (.04)Media & Entertainment (.07)Automotive (.12)

NudityPharmaceutical (.36)Issue Advocacy (.0)Automotive (.06)Food & Beverage (.07)

ViolenceMedia & Entertainment (.62)Fashion (.08)Travel (.09)Pharmaceutical (.09)Automotive (.24)

HumorMedia & Entertainment (1.0)Travel (1.0)Automotive (.97) Food & Beverage (.95)Communication & Electronics (.94)Pharmaceutical (.91)

Issue Advocacy (.64)

ChildrenIssue Advocacy (.29)Pharmaceutical (.03)

Academic Studies (11)SummaryThis strategy may be a function of the advertising format rather than the nature of the advertisers. Based on McLuhan’s (1964) assertion that the medium is the message, it could be argued that the creative/message strategy of any viral ad will be largely determined by its meme factor.

Since the success of any consumer-driven advertising campaign is based on the willingness of users to forward messages (ads) to as many people as possible, advertisers must shy away from boring fact based strategies and towards more entertaining, exciting or interesting attention grabbing strategies. The results of the current study provide empirical evidence to this approach as they clearly highlight the predominance of the ritual view strategy over the transmission view.

In layman terms, it could be argued that consumer-driven advertising strategies target users through the gut rather than the brain.

Academic Studies (12)Summary

When synthesized with the results of the advertising appeal results, one could argue that consumer-driven ads were often based on an individual appeal (ego rather than social) that was based largely on humor while attempting to provide some information to the user.

Academic Studies (13)Additional significant findings

Fortune 500 companies created 62% of the television ads analyzed (146 ads).

Non-Fortune 500 companies produced the majority of consumer-driven ads with 60% (160 ads).

5.1% of television ads used sex appeals, 18.4% of consumer-driven ads used sex appeals.

Television ads were more likely to use animation (14.9%) as compared to consumer-driven ads (4.9%)

Consumer-driven ads (26.7%) were more likely to use a violence appeal (mostly from the Entertainment industry) than television ads (15.7%).