Andy Warhol’s famous quote, “In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” finds new meaning in today’s era of viral marketing.
Who does not want to go viral?
Amazing conversions and a crazy amount of engagement are sure to make everyone want a taste of it. So the question arises, can it be done? Is there a strategic way of making a viral video or is it an accident?
We are here to answer all of these questions.
Viral marketing involves releasing content that spreads like wildfire across different platforms. This spreading is done by people on social networks and is generally organic. Needless to mention that viral marketing leads to a massive number of conversions.
For example, in 2018 a simple move of changing the spelling of IHOP to ‘IHOB’ for only 7 days, resulted in $113 million in earned revenue for them.
This move was strategic, but no one could have predicted that it would go viral to such an extent.
This brings us to a very important understanding.
Viral Marketing is largely dependent on human behavior and how a piece of content affects people. Based on this insight, a certain part of viral marketing will always be unpredictable and uncontrollable.
So what about the rest of it?
The first thing you will need is great content. In recent times it is observed that funny, shocking, and witty content go viral the most.
The second thing you will need is planning and strategy. The success of your campaign will be dependent on how unique your idea is and how simple it is to execute it.
For example, in 2014, the ALS Association conducted the ice bucket challenge. The campaign involved you filming yourself pouring a bucket of ice-cold water on yourself.
This became so widely popular that even known celebrities did the challenge. This helped the ALS Association raise $115 million in donations.
It is very easy to carry out a viral campaign. All you have to do is create a piece of content and put it up on online social networks and promote it. From there, it involves people liking it and sharing it like crazy.
Virality does happen by accident in the case of stand-alone videos which are massively circulated. These may involve someone singing a song or doing something else.
When it comes to brands, there are two types of dispersion strategies.
The first is referred to as the shown type, which involves the viewer being aware of the fact that they are viewing branded or advertising content from the get-go.
Concealed marketing is when the viewer is unaware of the fact that whether what they are viewing is branded content or not. Concealed marketing in certain situations can make the viewer feel cheated or even turn against the brand.
We at ATop Digital would always recommend not keeping your audience in the dark. Successful branded campaigns have gone viral time and again.
Your brand should never enter the spam zone, Irrespective of your strategy. You have to wait it out till you hit home with your content. Trying too hard too soon might be detrimental for the brand.
By 2022, video traffic is expected to go up by 15% as compared to 2017. So if you are not using video content to promote your brand, you have a much lesser chance of going viral.
Let’s look at the benefits involved with viral marketing.
It’s cost-effective
With viral marketing, the user generally does the distribution on behalf of the brand. This cuts down the crazy costs that are generally involved with brand promotions.
More reach than expected
Viral campaigns generate tremendous reach. In most cases, it’s the kind of reach and publicity you could never have expected for your brand.
It’s not invasive
Your audience shares your content of their own volition. This leads to the construction of a better brand image and increases audience interaction. You don’t have to worry about your brand getting invasive or spammy.
Increases brand awareness
If used effectively, viral marketing is the best tool and strategy to build brand awareness. Brands figure out the strategy of creating the right content and develop an amazing relationship with their audience.
Viral marketing is dependent on three things, the message you are trying to promote, your audience, and the environment in which the message is being promoted.
Not having synergy between these three things, has resulted in devastating outcomes for brands. Not only has it tarnished the reputation of brands but also created a massive fall-out with their core audience.
It’s very important to discuss brands that went viral for all the wrong reasons.
For example, Dove ran a Facebook campaign in 2017, which was meant to empower women. What followed was a disaster. The ad featured a black woman taking off her shirt to reveal a white woman.
Needless to say, no one took it well. The brand tried to explain the ad but it remained an absolute disaster.
The New York Times compared the ad to a Fairy soap ad from the early 20th century in which a white parent asks a black child “Why doesn’t your mamma wash you with Fairy Soap?”.
In the same year, Pepsi featured reality tv star Kendall Jenner in an ad, joining and eventually leading the ‘Black Lives Matter protest. Somehow, the clear problem with this ad did not strike Pepsi and what followed was outrage.
The ad got so much negative publicity that even Bernice King, youngest living granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr commented,
“If only Daddy would have known about the power of Pepsi”.
Her statement was accompanied by her father being manhandled by the police in protest.
Curated content hitting the right notes leads to immensely successful campaigns.
For example,
Several other brands have successfully carried out viral campaigns time and again.
You don’t want your viral campaign to bomb and carrying out a viral campaign is not a one-person job.
This is where we come in.
We at ATop Digital, develop an in-depth insight into your brand, your competitors, and lead the current market. Our excellent and talented team will deliver unique content using the right tools and strategies that can help your brand go viral.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us today and stay on top.
