Going viral is just like being cool. Just ask the Fonz, you’re either cool, or you aren’t. You’re either going to go viral, or you aren’t. The Fonz knows… Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy…..
Look, if you’re trying too hard to be viral, well, it just ain’t gonna happen. Ok, well maybe if you pay some giant ad agency a few million bucks to try desperately for you, it could happen. But for those of us who can’t hire a mega-agency, the chances of going super-viral are poor.
According to a study from Jupiter Research, 20 percent of all marketers “plan to use viral marketing” next year. Um, ok, just exactly how are you going to do that when:
A. You honestly have zero idea on how to do it, and
B. You honestly aren’t even sure what viral marketing is?
I remember reading a similar stat a few years ago about how every business was planning on using blogs for business. Here we are a few years later, and, while business blogging has taken off (not as fast as predicted), viral marketing is a completely different beast; one that is 100 times more difficult to do than blogging.
Corey Treffiletti of MediaPost explains it well.
Viral marketing is a phenomenon that occurs when the creative message you’re trying to convey resonates deeply with the audience you’re speaking to. If you’re doing your homework and adequately planning the right messaging, with some incentive that clearly benefits the consumer, then viral marketing occurs. It’s a confluence of research that results in pass-along and forwarding.
Homework or not, super viral success is a pipe-dream for most businesses, no, wait, not just for businesses, for everyone. Instead, small businesses should be focusing on niche-level viral efforts, only then might they have a chance of success.
But before you get started, remember the Fonzie rule. You can’t try to be cool, you either are, or you aren’t. Viral marketing is the same thing. If you’re going to try, keep it simple, fun and take a few chances and just see what happens, but don’t sweat it if it doesn’t work.
Jim,
Thank you for the smart post. I would add that your thinking refers to all marketing and sales efforts. Authenticity and understanding our audiences are the foundation to all levels of success.
Jim,
In keeping with the tone of your article, I would like to point out that the Fonz hasnt been cool in 20+ years.
Brian, are you kidding me? The Fonz will always be cool.
Lewis, yes, you’re right, it applies across the board.
Great post but left me wanting more. What is niche-level viral marketing?
Peter, I’ll have to write about that next.
First off, I totally agree that Fonz is cool and will always be cool.
This post is so refreshing. There is no ’secret success recipe’ to viral marketing and frankly I never think there will be. Viral success relies on spontaneity and not knowing how people will react is part of the process. And sometimes viral videos take off because it is really really bad–can you anticipate that?
But I also totally agree with your point and Lewis’ comment that if you truly understand your consumer and know how they tick you can succeed [in viral marketing or traditional marketing]. To expand on the Fonz analogy, the ‘coolest’ people in high school [cool is open to interpretation] knew themselves and had confidence. Trying too hard is just so very ‘uncool.’
The Fonz was cool because he was authentic. So right, Jim…you’re either cool, or you’re not. And you’re either real, or you’re not.
p.s. to Brian — way to make me feel old..sheesh!
Our only experience of viral marketing was when our office cat had kittens.
I posted some pictures of the kittens development on a sub folder of purple13.co.uk and emailed everyone at my office.
A couple of unobtrusive links back to Mandy’s artworks on the main URL didn’t deter most visitors.
They told their family and friends who in turn told theirs and so the URL spread like , well, a virus.
Cute kitten pictures – how can you go wrong. Now the Cat’s had another litter and we’re repeating the exercise.
You can see the kittens at http://www.purple13.co.uk/kitten2
It doesn’t have to be big or grand to generate traffic and hopefully sales.
Jonathan
I’ve found in my experience the key to sparking a viral effect in any capacity – whether it begin and remain on the niche-level or explode to a super-viral epidemic – is what I call the Smirk-Effect. Quite literally I could not and would not choose a more well-thought out or “intelligent” term for the name because it crisply simply-puts the essence of its own meaning.
You think what was the first reaction you had to Fonzie’s “Heeeeeyyyyyyyy”. You probably didn’t laugh outright, but I can almost guarantee it brought a genuine smirk to your lips… You thought: “If I were to repeat this catchy line to my friends the next time an apt opportunity arises, it would probably be met with a positive reaction from them.” And that’s it. The message has achieved the voluntary pass-along factor and it begins to spread with viral legerity.
The next time you observe something that you react to and can consciously identify as smirk-worthy – it has the Smirk-Effect on you – and you feel anxious for the next opportunity where you can mention it or pass it along for others enjoyment, take a simple mental note. Try applying the event, quote, whatever, to your business and split-test it in your next ad campaign. Cleverly convey the same message with a seamless link to your companies identity for your target audience, and you might just have it hitch. Heeeeeyyyyyyy!
I would love it if 20 years from now someone could walk up to a stranger on the street and make a gutteral sound and the person would immediately recognize my brand.
I am sure that if you walked into a room of middle age people and said, “Who is this” and simply went “HHHeeeeeyyyyy” with a thumbs up, they would know.
Not only was Fonize cool, but he stood out from traditional thinking–he made you do a double-take. Leather jacket = hoodlum, but not in this case. He actually was a positive role model that simply challenged the “norm”. Who says that the “norm” is right.
What is it that will make your customers do a double-take when they think about your industry norms which don’t apply to you–hey check this out!
“I would love it if 20 years from now someone could walk up to a stranger on the street and make a gutteral sound and the person would immediately recognize my brand.”
YES! Great brand goal.
Here’s a test for you. Have someone stick 20 soda cans of different varities sitting on a fence 100 yards away.
Now, which one is the Coke can?
The bright red one, right? I betcha 10 out of 10 get that one right. That’s a brand.
As someone who’s made a career out of creating cool ads, I agree with Jim. Viral marketing is not the silver bullet some may want you to think it is. For every BlendTec viral video story (they drove millions to their website with a funny video they spent $50 on), there are hundreds more videos sitting on youtube with less than a thousand views. Trust me, if I knew what idea would go viral, I’d create a product around it, shoot the video, launch it on youtube and watch the cash roll in. And I think the same could be said of anyone who comes to you saying they’re gonna create a viral video for you.
Remember the dancing baby that went viral back in the late 90’s? Something like that wouldn’t have anywhere near the success today.
From the Star Wars Kid to the Subserviant Chicken, folks on the Internet have seen it all. Short of footage of the real Elvis doin’ a present day concert with Lennon,Hendrix and Morrison, video content that’s cool enough to get passed around is a pretty tough nut to crack.
I’d focus my efforts on creating a killer app such as a blog gadget branded with your logo (as long as the connection is relevant).
I’ve seen your picture with Jesse Willm. He has scammed millions of people. Are you scamming people also?