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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.
In the past few days, Comedy Central has taken a brazen approach to some of the issues we deal with day in and day out. The virtual world Second Life is one of those buzzwords often thrown around conferences by people trying to sound like they know what they’re talking about. Many well-known companies have spent lots of money jumping into Second Life to have a virtual world presence, but I think they were simply jumping the shark.
Second Life, like many other platforms on the Internet, has not taken off quite as expected. “The Daily Show” had quite the time making fun of Second Life. Enjoy the clip below:
A recent “South Park” episode was no stranger to speaking on the Internet’s monetization problems. The boys create a hit YouTube video thinking they’ll rake in some fast cash, only to find themselves waiting in line for “theoretical dollars” at the Department of Internet Money, along with other Internet celebrities. A full list of the episode’s clips can be found here. However, enjoy below Kyle’s closing insights on Internet revenue:
What are your thoughts on monetizing the Internet?
According to ERA’s most recently commissioned paper, Mapping the Path to Purchase, Forrester Research suggests that television drives online sales. Indeed, 44 percent of the study’s respondents went to retail to find a product they saw on an infomercial or home shopping channel and more than one-third of consumers visit engines (eBay, Yahoo, Google, etc.) to compare prices, with more than 50 percent of those making a purchase.
But wait, there’s more; now it’s the consumers themselves who are creating pathways and signposts. It’s interesting, looking at the apparent quick rise of the “consumer influencer.” It seems just yesterday when branding was king and PR, marketing, research and agencies pushed sales. But today, through the power of blogs, online communities, forums, boards, videos on YouTube, Facebook and more, customers are definitely in charge.
I wonder what retailers think about how this will all shake out? How do retailers leverage those consumer influencers?
Sieglinde Friedman is ERA’s vice president of strategy
ERA’s eRetailer Summit is off to a great start. We’ve already exceeded last year’s total registrations before the tradeshow floor even opened! Whenever I attend conferences, I always seem to find myself drawn to the education sessions, rather than the tradeshow floor. My instincts proved correct today when I learned more about blogs within an hour than I had learned in the past three months. I’ll begin implementing what I’ve learned moving forward. I hope you check back often as our blog continues to grow and expand in quality and quantity.
Earlier today, I also had the pleasure of eating lunch while listening to a keynote presentation from YouTube’s Brian Cusack. Among many interesting statistics, he addressed the rapidly shifting media consumption habits. It turns out people are spending as much time engaging with online content and videos now as they do watching TV. Don’t believe it? If you’re reading this blog post, you’re part of that statistic.
Since you’re clearly not watching your TV right now, enjoy the following video I came across while checking my email today. It’s definitely not something I want to think about when I board that plane on Wednesday!
How do you think marketers and advertisers will adapt if these viewing habits continue?
I was having lunch the other day with ERSP Program Analyst Bob Hilleman and our former ERSP colleague Tessa Barrera. Soon, the conversation turned to the subject of traditional television and print advertising and how these promotional vehicles (though still packing a powerful punch) will soon be considered the advertising models of the past. We discussed how new outlets such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Second Life and Twitter have arisen as new outlets for marketers to explore. Yes, marketers are realizing that as technology advances so must marketing, and these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. However, perhaps looking at why traditional marketing campaigns succeeded can help guide the jump into exploring the new media.
Think back to the advertising campaigns that you remember: M&M’s “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands”; Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” and Campbell Soup’s “Mmm…Mmm good.” All catchy taglines tied to successful advertising campaigns that appeal to the consumer’s feelings of trust, quality and security. By building a recognizable brand, the advertising worked to reinforce and create the connection with the consumers by appealing to their emotional sense of quality, fairness and connection. What makes a successful brand and a successful advertisement is that emotional connection. Consumers have to invest themselves into the subject, the character or the product.
More and more, new technology is on the rise. YouTube or Vimeo features short, digestible clips. Twitter issues one-sentence updates. Tumblr is built for short and quick blogging. The focus is on content, quick, constantly updating, but never in-depth. This speed, this bite-size focus is being heralded as the wave of the future, but it doesn’t allow for the building of a brand. It’s focused on tiny bits of information ready now, not to be stored away but to create a temporary quick fix for a need of information. It’s exciting, it’s constantly moving, it’s cutting edge. Yet, it is also, as of now, fairly impersonal. Consumers are there for the speed of changing content, not for the emotional ties to others. Tubmlr is attempting to incorporate those two aspects—building on the social connections of a Facebook, but still on the speed of a Twitter. Yet still, even with the social networking tie-in, the speed of the information has not yet been harnessed to achieve emotional connections. (more…)
Earlier today while “Facebooking,” I saw that my friend Savannah had posted a YouTube video on my friend Emily’s wall. The video was a teaser/preview for an upcoming string of new episodes for MTV’s widely popular “The Hills.” Although the show is completely ridiculous, it is a mindless, guilty pleasure nonetheless. I quickly copied the link and placed it into e-mail to shoot out to a few friends, jokingly telling them to mark their calendars for March 24th when the show returns. Although I’m slightly embarrassed, executives at MTV should be thrilled that this viral transgression of its content happened. Moreover, it was my friend’s response to my e-mail that I found most interesting.
“Sorry bro, I can’t tube at work,” Boris said. It was at that moment that I realized ERA’s keynote speaker at the upcoming eRetailer Summit in Miami on Monday had truly made the map. Like its parent Google before it, YouTube has become an action verb! Join me in Miami on Monday to hear YouTube’s Brian Cusack discuss the promises and challenges of video in advertising.
Click on the video if you’d like a peak at the senseless L.A. drama.
Hopefully, I’ll see you in Miami where we can discuss issues that actually matter, involving not only your bottom line, but also your company’s future.
Pat Cauley, eMedia editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine
Yes, the way we young folks consume our media has changed. On a recent Sunday evening with friends, I watched in awe as my MacBook became the center of attention in the room. “Press mute on the TV,” Steve said commandingly. It was only a matter of seconds before he had the YouTube homepage on the screen. He played songs and videos that he liked. He even played a sports-themed video on the site as we all ignored the actual live sporting event that played in the background on my television. Right as it seemed we were done with YouTube and ready to go back to the TV, next thing you know, my friend Melissa asked Steve if he was on Facebook or MySpace. Like everyone else in the room, he was a member of both.
Along with ignoring the sporting event, we were also ignoring the advertisements you paid such a dear price from your media budget. Are you happy with your return on investment? If my friends and I are anything like the norm, then media loyalty and viewing habits are rapidly shifting. Are you prepared to engage the Gen Y consumer on our turf?
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).
In the past few days, Comedy Central has taken a brazen approach to some of the issues we deal with day in and day out. The virtual world Second Life is one of those buzzwords often thrown around conferences by people trying to sound like they know what they’re talking about. Many well-known companies have spent lots of money jumping into Second Life to have a virtual world presence, but I think they were simply jumping the shark.
According to ERA’s most recently commissioned paper, Mapping the Path to Purchase, Forrester Research suggests that television drives online sales. Indeed, 44 percent of the study’s respondents went to retail to find a product they saw on an infomercial or home shopping channel and more than one-third of consumers visit engines (eBay, Yahoo, Google, etc.) to compare prices, with more than 50 percent of those making a purchase.
ERA’s eRetailer Summit is off to a great start. We’ve already exceeded last year’s total registrations before the tradeshow floor even opened! Whenever I attend conferences, I always seem to find myself drawn to the education sessions, rather than the tradeshow floor. My instincts proved correct today when I learned more about blogs within an hour than I had learned in the past three months. I’ll begin implementing what I’ve learned moving forward. I hope you check back often as our blog continues to grow and expand in quality and quantity.
I was having lunch the other day with 
Earlier today while “Facebooking,” I saw that my friend Savannah had posted a YouTube video on my friend Emily’s wall. The video was a teaser/preview for an upcoming string of new episodes for MTV’s widely popular “The Hills.” Although the show is completely ridiculous, it is a mindless, guilty pleasure nonetheless. I quickly copied the link and placed it into e-mail to shoot out to a few friends, jokingly telling them to mark their calendars for March 24th when the show returns. Although I’m slightly embarrassed, executives at MTV should be thrilled that this viral transgression of its content happened. Moreover, it was my friend’s response to my e-mail that I found most interesting.
Yes, the way we young folks consume our media has changed. On a recent Sunday evening with friends, I watched in awe as my MacBook became the center of attention in the room. “Press mute on the TV,” Steve said commandingly. It was only a matter of seconds before he had the YouTube homepage on the screen. He played songs and videos that he liked. He even played a sports-themed video on the site as we all ignored the actual live sporting event that played in the background on my television. Right as it seemed we were done with YouTube and ready to go back to the TV, next thing you know, my friend Melissa asked Steve if he was on Facebook or MySpace. Like everyone else in the room, he was a member of both.
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