Understanding
Start here…
Understanding
On October 25, 2003 in the small town of Dalaro in Eastern Sweden, a strange
event occurred that is yet to be explained…
…it has been referred to as The Mystery of Dalaro…
What is Viral Advertising?
A.k.a “viral marketing”
 Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Functions in a self-replicating manner

Where did it come from?
A little history…

1994 - Early writer on idea of Viral Marketing
 Douglas Rushkoff (media critic)
○ Book: Media Virus.
○ Explained the process as having “exponential growth”

1996 – Term coined by a professor,
 Jeffrey Rayport, Harvard Business School
○ Article: “The Virus of Marketing”
○ Magazine: Fast Company
Source: Wikipedia “Viral Marketing” article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing#_note-5 Feb. 22, 2008.
What is Viral Advertising?
A.k.a “viral marketing”
 Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Functions in a self-replicating manner

What is Viral Advertising?
A.k.a “viral marketing”
 Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Functions in a self-replicating manner

What is Viral Advertising?

A.k.a “viral marketing” – A more general
term in respects to actual practices,
media use, methods, etc.
What is Viral Advertising?

A.k.a “viral marketing” – A more general
term in respects to actual practices,
media use, methods, etc.
 Marketing – Total steps involved in the
process of transferring goods/services from
seller to buyer
What is Viral Advertising?

A.k.a “viral marketing” – A more general
term in respects to actual practices,
media use, methods, etc.
 Marketing – Total steps involved in the
process of transferring goods/services from
seller to buyer
 Advertising – Communication toward
awareness of the good/service (usually from
seller to buyer)
What is Viral Advertising?
A.k.a “viral marketing”
 Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Functions in a self-replicating manner

What is Viral Advertising?

Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Word of mouth
○ “Studies have shown that a satisfied customer
will tell an average of three people about a
product or service she likes, and eleven
people about a product or service with which
she had a negative experience.”
Source: The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing "How to trigger exponential sales through runaway word of mouth“
George Silverman, Amacom 2001
What is Viral Advertising?

Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
What is Viral Advertising?
A.k.a “viral marketing”
 Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Functions in a self-replicating manner

What is Viral Advertising?

Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Yahoo!
 Anheuser Busch
 Volvo
 Burger King
 Long John Silver’s
 Blackberry
What is Viral Advertising?
A.k.a “viral marketing”
 Communication process that uses
preexisting social networks
 Promotional method to increase brand
awareness
 Functions in a self-replicating manner

What is Viral Advertising?

Functions in a “self”-replicating manner
 “The key to effective viral: Create and
execute an idea that's intriguing enough to
get consumers to interact.”
Source: Theresa Howard, USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2005-06-22-viral-usat_x.htm. February 22,
2008
Viral Advertising: Two Types
 Voluntary
○ Videos
○ Funny
○ Entertaining
○ “Daring” quality
○ Fw:
○ Chat room topics
 Involuntary
○ Email
○ Smart devices
○ Yahoo!
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
“Semi-Pro” – Spin-offs
Anheuser Busch

Using YouTube
 Official movie trailer
 Superbowl XLII commercial
 Bud Light “Jackie Moon” commercials
 Old Spice “Jackie Moon” commercials (“All 8 versions”)
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
The Shrimp Buddy Campaign
Long John Silver’s
http://www.shrimpbuddy.com/
 Watch the flick

Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○ Burger King
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Viral Advertising: Real World
 Digital Word of mouth
○ Internet
○ E-mail
○ Websites
○ Chat rooms
○ Video
○ Mobile telephones
○ Smart devices
○ Gaming
 Companies
○ Yahoo!
○ Anheuser Busch
○ Volvo
○.
○ Long John Silver’s
○ Blackberry
Burger King: Chicken Fight

http://www.cpbgroup.com/awards/chickenfight.html
Crispin, Porter + Bogusky advertising agency
Understanding
The end.