Recently, I received an interview invitation from a student to explain more about Viral Marketing. And funny enough there’s also a question about what are your suggestions about Viral Marketing?
I grew up years before this ‘make it viral!’ brief was born. At the early 2000, it was always about making great ads, ads that won awards, and give impact to business, as simple as that ;p. There are always a few that made its way in becoming ‘viral’, which in those respective years meant the ad being talked about and causing a bigger wave of attention.
Viral marketing is a sale’s technique or strategy that involves organic results at an increasing rate. It clinched its best perhaps in this digital era, where you can easily download videos and share it across any social media platforms. The rise of social media and the slowly dying TV ads is pushing its virality.
Well, here’s my answer for the student: Viral marketing or viral advertising doesn’t have any fixed pattern. What’s viral for one campaign doesn’t mean it works for others. One could have a stunning result by executing the idea with an anime video but the same formula might not have as big result, same goes with other patterns.
So how to approach the brief?
- The message needs to be honest.
It needs to tell the truth, a deep connected insight. Execution also plays a role, you want to make them feel as if it’s an unbranded message that makes the audience get the closeness and share them to their relatives
2. The message needs to involve emotional baggage.
Whether it’s sad or funny, these two emotions mostly work. It’s the safest route to be viral. Both sadness and happiness are contagious, whatever mood they have, they’ll share it to their loved ones, and the virality begin.
3. It’s abruptly disturbing.
This route is the most uncomfortable one for the brand owners. It takes them out of their seat. A gamble they’re not ready to lose. If done properly, it will fly high. But there’s always a possibility for it to go the other way too.
All in all… It will go back to its objective, why do you want it to be viral in the first place? Does it need to? It takes two to tango, the client’s gut is in line with the result. But if they choose a safer route, you can’t go wrong with being funny. Whichever route you take we can always talk about it, I’m sure we can ‘Main Cantik’ together to discuss how you want it to be viral.