By Jeff Mascott
The emergence of user-generated content on social networking platforms like YouTube, as well as the ubiquity of forward-to-a-friend tools on Web sites, have made going viral
the new buzz phrase for generating buzz.
While word-of-mouth (WOM) tactics have become a go-to strategy for communications professionals, some common misperceptions about planning and executing viral campaigns
continue to persist. A YouTube video may only take mere hours to create, but a 30-second video clip alone is not the key to creating the word-of-mouth buzz that is the hallmark of
a successful viral campaign.
Planning A Viral Campaign
Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding if a viral campaign is right for your client:
1. Viral campaigns require money. At first glance, the thought of generating some attention by letting a consumer create a theme song or a new commercial might seem like a
brilliant solution to a tight budget. However, viral campaigns are not a low-cost alternative to advertising and traditional public relations campaigns. To be effective, viral
campaigns require a similar financial investment.
Doritos widely publicized the $12 budget used by the winner of its 2007 user-generated Super Bowl commercial contest. But the snack giant still spent a hefty $1.3 million on a
one-month advertising to promote the contest in October, and an additional $8 million in February to air the top five finalists (Source: Nielsen Monitor-Plus).
Those figures don't even begin to cover other costs incurred by Doritos during the course of the campaign. A viral campaign is not a sure-fire way to avoid the expense that
goes into traditional media relations or advertising efforts; the difference is in the tactical approach rather than the bottom-line expense.
2. Viral campaigns require hard work. Despite a few notable exceptions (most notably for presidential candidates and Holly wood celebrities), viral campaigns do not take off on
the merits of a 30-second video clip alone--they require extensive preparation and sustained outreach.
Educational efforts undertaken by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) generally enjoy a great deal of viral success, primarily because of the extensive community of
supporters on Facebook and MySpace, who HSUS can easily call upon to share information or take action on an issue. HSUS' network of assets did not materialize on its own; rather,
it was the result of ongoing outreach efforts by three full-time staff members. Building a network of support takes time, and maintaining relationships with the members of that
network requires ongoing engagement.
3. Viral campaigns take time. The best viral campaigns are often the result of trial and error. As an organization shifts its culture from using traditional communications
tools to engaging in viral tactics, there is often a period of adjustment before any real results are seen. Communications executives need to be flexible during this transition
period, and willing to refine their tactics and strategies based on changing circumstances.
Southwest Airlines is consistently recognized for its innovative social media outreach to connect with its customer base, but its viral success did not occur overnight. As the
corporate culture adjusted to using social media tools to interact with customers (everything from a Facebook presence to its Nuts About Southwest corporate blog), Southwest's
team always responded to feedback by adjusting their tactics to better engage in the conversation.
To maximize the impact of a viral campaign, communications professionals need to be flexible in their approaches and be willing to take the time to experiment with different
ideas.
Pulling The Trigger
After thinking about these core principles of a viral campaign, here are two additional points to keep in mind when executing a viral effort:
1. Viral campaigns need to be guided by the right plan for the right target audience. Successful viral campaigns are not the result of indiscriminate, blanket posting of a
piece of creative across the vast spectrum that is the Internet. Part of the time-intensive planning process involves studying your audience to determine the right mix of social
media based on its interests and demographics.
With an ever-growing spectrum of available social media options, including online communities, news aggregators, user-generated sites and blog/micro-blogging sites, it is
important to understand the different mix of functionality inherent to each service.
Understanding the nuances of a particular site is key to understanding the site's user base: Facebook is an ideal platform for a viral campaign targeting young professionals,
but is perhaps not the best choice for an advocacy issue that needs retiree activists (tapping into AARP's online community might be a better option). Just as with traditional
media relations efforts, the most successful viral campaigns involve good old-fashioned planning and preparation to analyze your target audiences and decide on the best mix of
tactics.
2. Viral campaigns still need good ideas. Finally, a viral campaign has to not only be guided by a well-formulated strategy, but anchored by a creative concept that resonates
with the target audience.
There is little chance that someone will forward on an e-mail or encourage friends and family to take action on an issue that is uninteresting and disengaging. A campaign goes
viral because there is something worth passing on, whether it is an animated game or a user-generated video clip. The best viral campaigns are anchored by ideas that are not only
creative, but that also provide something of value for the target audience. PRN
CONTACT:
Jeff Mascott is the managing director of Adfero Group. He can be reached at [email protected].