This document discusses viral marketing techniques used on the web. It describes how viral marketing spreads organically through social sharing, often achieving large reach at low cost. However, it notes viral marketing carries risks if not executed properly, such as lack of message control and potential backlash. Specific case studies are provided of both successful and unsuccessful viral marketing campaigns.

1. Web PR
Techniques
Brett Atwood

2. Web Distribution
• Web news sites
• “Viral marketing”
• Direct-to-consumer marketing
• Blogs and social networking sites

3. “Viral” Marketing
• One of the most effective
“new” marketing
strategies uses “viral”
techniques that spreads
through “word-of-mouth”
among “infected”
audience members

4. Goals of Viral Marketing
• Get people talking about your product, service
or campaign
• Let “word-of-mouth” spread your message
• Build trust and awareness through low-key
product/message placement

5. Viral Marketing: Pros
• Inexpensive
– Others do the distribution
• Increased Credibility
– The audience is more likely to believe something
from their peers over something originating
directly from a sales person

6. Viral Marketing for “Unconventional”
Products
• Viral marketing can be used to
promote unconventional products
and ideas
• Example: Philips “Bodygroom”
– Shaver for body hair
– Embarrassing topic for many
– Too “explicit” for mainstream media

7. Success of Campaign
• Philips launched a micro-site
• Uses humor and even explicit language to pitch
product
• Small marketing budget
• Sales increases
• Mentioned in over 1,000 blogs

8. Success of “Fred”
• Fred is a character
created by a
teenager on
YouTube
– One of the first
instances of a
YouTube artist
attracting the
attention of a
sponsor for product
placement
• At one point in 2008,
this was the # 1 –
Most Subscribed (All
Time) on YouTube

9. Viral Marketing: Cons
• Control
– You don’t control the distribution
– Randomness to who gets the message
• Context
– The context of the message can be distorted since
others are distributing it

10. Example: GM “Chevy Tahoe”
• General Motors invited
Internet users to create
or remix their own
“advertisement” for the
SUV truck “Chevy Tahoe”

11. Viral Marketing Campaign Misfires
• A Web site was created with various elements of video
that the user could use to arrange the commercial
• The user could also add their own “text” over the video

12. Goal of the GM Viral Campaign
• The goal was to let users
interact with the product in a
fun, unique way
• They would then distribute
their creation and the
message to friends and via
their blogs
• GM hoped to build brand
awareness of the new truck

13. Success? Or Not?
• 21,000 user-created ads were submitted
• 2.4 million page views
• 80% of the ads were positive
• However, 20% of ads were critical
– The media coverage focused on the negative

14. Lack of Control and Context
• Many Internet users decided to create
commercials that complained about the
environmental impact of the gas-hungry truck
• A negative association between the truck and
the environment was created

16. Backlash?
• In early 2007, Boston officials mistook “real
world” viral campaign materials for terrorist-planted
bombs!

17. Effective Ways to Use Viral Marketing
• To increase brand awareness without selling
anything.
• To sell products and services that usually
include discounts, giveaways or other
incentives
• To communicate simple messages that share
positive or negative experiences or interesting
thoughts, jokes, funny videos and other
observations.

18. Effective Ways to Use Viral Marketing
• Embed messages with programs such as
games that entice the user to get involved
• Entice individuals to get involved in recruiting
others in return for incentives.
• Recruit others as new customers to share
products

19. Successful Delivery of Viral Marketing
• The message should be credible
– Credibility increases when the message is
delivered by a known friend or associate
• The message should be compelling
– The content must be interesting enough for
someone to want to pass on word about it
• Timeliness is key
– Viral messages have a limited life span
– Interest will decrease quickly after an initial burst

20. “Online Street Teams”
• Boston-based Alt Terrain arranges “alternative media”
marketing campaigns
• “Online street teams” infiltrate chat rooms, bulletin
boards and blogs to post positive information on
clients
• They pose as fans expressing spontaneous opinions,
but they are really paid promoters

21. “Astro-turfing”
• Use caution in executing this technique
• The online community is skeptical of obvious
and aggressive sales techniques
• The process of online eavesdropping has been
given the nickname “astro-turfing”
– The name refers to a brand of artificial grass
– This is because this form of marketing is an
artificial attempt at gaining “grassroots” support

22. “Astro-turfing”
• “Astro-turfing”
techniques have been
used beyond marketing
attempts to sell a product
– They have been used to
simulate “grassroots”
political momentum

23. Dangers of Viral Marketing
• Consumers will get upset if they discover that
they have been manipulated
• A backlash could occur toward your campaign

24. Example: “Lonelygirl15”
• In the U.S., there was a
scandal involving an actress
who was paid to keep a
video journal online
– “Lonelygirl15” gained millions
of followers
– She was exposed as a fake
– Aspiring filmmakers developed
her “character” to build
interest in their movie

25. Blogging and Marketing
• Many companies are adding blogs to their
Web sites to communicate directly with their
customers

26. Example:
• Retailer Wal-Mart has been criticized by the media
for the way it treats employees
– Low wages
– Poor medical benefits
• In the past, Wal-Mart would offer a “no comment” to
many journalists
• The company suffered negative media exposure

27. Wal-Mart Woes
• Wal-Mart initially decided to go directly to the public
with its own Web site: WalMartFacts.com
– That site now redirects to the corporate Wal-Mart page
– The site was used to post responses to media attacks and to
tell its side of the story

28. Corporate Blogs
• Even McDonalds has a blog
• The company is responding to criticism over the
healthiness of fast food

29. Open Issues?
• As more corporate blogs open, there is a
question about how “open” they should be for
public feedback
• Should they allow for bulletin boards?
– Lack of control = negative comments
– Censorship = criticism from opponents

30. Marketing to Social Networking
Sites
• Social networking sites are
growing
• “Circle of friends” concept
• Examples:
– Facebook
– Instagram
– Twitter

31. Trends in Social Networking
• “Viral” trends and marketing
– These techniques are effective because they come
from trusted sources
– Customers “let in” the company and interact with
them