While marketers are keen to test the waters with viral campaigns, the evidence for their effectiveness remains pretty shakey. Remember Snakes on a Plane anyone? From Internet Retailer:
20% of online advertisers surveyed by Jupiter Research say they plan to test viral marketing in vehicles such as blogs this year, but Jupiter also found that most consumers don’t trust product information they get on social media sites. The winning advertising campaigns will plan for this by supporting viral campaigns with more conventional forms of online advertising…
…The Jupiter report points out that because the social media space is just emerging, viral marketing within social media is faced by a degree of mistrust from consumers. The survey determined that 69% of consumers don’t trust the product information they get on social media sites. Consumers were twice as likely to trust product information on a company web site or professional review site.
It seems odd to me that the report suggests that greater familiarity with viral campaigns on social media sites are likely to increase their success. I would have thought the opposite would be the case: if I know someone is trying to market to me, surely I’m likely to be more resistant to that effort?
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I think it was Steve Jurvetson who first used the term in describing Hotmail’s ascendency. If, indeed, Hotmail used viral campaigning, then this would be a good example.
I think “the way” in which it is used can foretell it’s success. If it is blatant that it is advertising or marketing, it won’t work. But, if is something interesting, funny and/or meaningful, then I would say this form of marketing/campaigning can be as successful as any.
“Something interesting, funny and/or meaningful” is about right if — and only if — they actually work to promote the brand. Some of the ‘best’ advertisements have failed to help brands because the ad is more memorable than the thing it was created to promote.
This really dates me, but the Leonard Rossiter/ Joan Collins adverts for Cinzano Bianco always come to mind on this subject — everyone loved the ads, no-one could remember what they were for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AaqQIJG6ik