Viral video marketing campaigns have become an effective way for companies to promote their brands through entertaining video content shared online. These videos are easily passed from person to person via social media and email, potentially reaching a large global audience. Examples like Cadbury's Gorilla commercial and Sick Puppies' "Free Hugs" campaign demonstrated how viral videos can increase popularity for both products and artists without any obvious advertising. Many advertisers now actively create low-cost viral videos to capitalize on this marketing approach of quickly reaching large audiences worldwide through online sharing.

1. Viral Video Marketing Campaigns Richard Dahl and Maxine Lines

2. Viral Videos A video usually posted to a hosting site (YouTube etc) ‘Spammed’ via email and social networking sites, spanning the globe Travels via word of mouth also The advent of social networking sites makes it easier for people to pass video links on to others Marketing agencies have recently begun taking advantage of this

3. Originally, most viral videos were entertaining video snippets – home movies, flash mobs etc Posted online for amusement, not marketing purposes Advertising agencies discovered a new market online Began making use of video campaigns Many successful viral ads have no obvious relation to the product they are selling Example: Cadbury Gorilla ads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jElSTy2gl8 Increased popularity of both Cadbury chocolate and the song, “In The Air Tonight”, demonstrating power of the medium

4. Early examples of viral videos were not ads – ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ (1995), ‘Dancing Baby’ (1996) As technology improved, it became possible for amateurs to produce professional-looking videos at low cost Most viral videos are humorous – Saturday Night Live’s Dick In A Box, Ubisoft’sRayman Raving Rabbids The most popular videos can turn amateurs into ‘Internet Celebrities’ – Geriatric1927, an 80-year old pensioner, is one of the most subscribed users on YouTube Facebook and Twitter have made it much easier to ‘spam’ videos in real-time, much faster than email.

5. Bands have begun using YouTube etc to promote their music by posting their film clips online For some bands, a viral video has pushed them into the limelight (Ok Go, Sick Puppies) Example: Sick Puppies & The ‘Free Hugs’ Campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4 Thanks to popularity of both the video and the song, the track reached number 8 on the US Modern Rock Chart in 2006, and the video was voted ‘YouTube Video of the Year’.

6. Popularity and effectiveness of the medium has changed the marketing world Advertisers are now aware of the effect of viral marketing Internet usage makes up a large part of many people’s week, advertisers are capitalising on this Low-cost productions allow them to reach audiences quickly and cheaply