A while back, I wrote an article that discussed the viability of viral marketing for Electronic Retailer’s September 2007 issue. In the article, I mention different campaigns that have used viral marketing and succeeded, as well as a few that didn’t pan out (think “Snakes on a Plane” bombing at the box office).

According to Wikipedia, viral marketing refers to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, akin to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily.

Below are two current, successful viral campaigns:

The first video shows how a well-established brand like Bud Light uses viral marketing to keep itself hip, fresh and funny. This video was brought to my attention via word-of-mouth while out this weekend.

The second shows how a less established brand uses YouTube to drive to its website and keep potential customers engaged and entertained.

The fact that you viewed these videos means I just helped move the viral campaigns forward. Whether you share it with your family and friends, a true test of success is up to you.

Pat Cauley is Electronic Retailer magazine’s eMedia Editor

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The tragic and untimely death of actor Heath Ledger actually has some serious implications in the media and advertising world. Not only must his death make Warner Bros. executives scratch their heads about how to move forward with the viral marketing campaign for the upcoming “Dark Knight” Batman film, which stars with Ledger as “The Joker,” but even President Bush is halting a prescription drug abuse ad campaign.

Set to launch tonight from the Roosevelt Room, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino was quoted as saying, “We thought it would be better to postpone the event rather than run the risk of anyone thinking that we were being opportunistic in highlighting the issue.” According to recent a Wall Street Journal article, Ledger’s Joker was the central theme to the movie’s viral marketing campaign, ranging from the online site and games to the actual poster for the film.

Since the viral marketing article I wrote for our September 2007 issue was published, I can think of two recent examples where viral marketing has shown its strength. Office Max’s ‘Elf Yourself’ campaign increased the site’s traffic more than tenfold from last year as 26.4 million Americans interacted with the brand this holiday season. The latter example is the marketing genius behind the advertising for the new thriller “Cloverfield.” Mixing Blair Witch tactics with a Hollywood budget, “Cloverfield” has kept audiences guessing what the film is even about.

The less is more, push-to-the-web approach proved hugely successful for the film as it broke MLK weekend box-office records, making $41 million. This proves how important the details of a marketing campaign can be to the success of a film.

If you were an advertising executive at Warner Bros., how would you handle Heath Ledger’s death as it ties to their Batman brand and upcoming film?

Pat Cauley, eMedia Editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine

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Things sure have changed a lot in the past 12 years. I can remember like it was yesterday standing at a pay phone near the field where I played little league baseball. I proudly dropped my quarter into the slot and dialed the 800 number I had written down on a little piece of crumpled up paper. I pressed the number corresponded to the color blue and the rest was history. It would soon be revealed that I had voted with the majority of Americans, 54 percent to be exact, in deciding the new M&M color. With over 10 million votes cast, blue won in a landslide over pink, purple or no change. Being just a kid, I couldn’t help but think that I had a huge impact on making the new M&M blue. That’s the brilliance of a successfully executed marketing campaign.

This is all somewhat ironic now, first and foremost because M&M’s don’t differ in taste depending on color, but also because of the way in which I interacted with the campaign. A recent L.A. Times report revealed that AT&T plans to phase out its pay phone business by the end of ’08. Additionally, a kid today would probably never fathom having to write down an 800 number on a piece of paper, but instead would be asked to text a quick code to vote for something or log onto a website. This all came to me when a current television commercial asked consumers to help create the next Mountain Dew. The “Dewmocracy” campaign asks consumers to join the movement, play games, and take a journey with fellow consumers as they develop teams eventually leading to a new flavor, color, name, logo, label, and tagline for the next Mountain Dew. This innovative campaign is a far cry from pressing 1 for blue. Only time will tell if it will be a success.

Dewmocracy Site

Do you think the Mountain Dew campaign will take off? Are there any recent interactive marketing campaigns that you’ve been impressed with?

Pat Cauley, eMedia editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine

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