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How to make your campaigns viral

By: SIMON ESKOW

You didn’t have to watch that YouTube video where SPCA dogs drive a modified Mini to know these dogs exist. By last Christmas, everyone knew.

Fans linked to the video on Facebook and Twitter and, as if by magic, an attractive novelty had engulfed the world, drawing attention to a worthy cause and to (ahem) Mini Coopers.

The problem for organisations salivating with envy over publicity campaigns that have gone viral — from mutts that drive to Air New Zealand’s Nothing to Hide safety video — is selection bias makes it look so simple.

Despite easy access to potent social media platforms, the final product is merely the public-facing element of a carefully planned, multi-level and sometimes expensive campaign.

“The first myth or misunderstanding people have is they will do some viral stuff and it will be cheap because they can’t afford to do mainstream media,” says Steve Bayliss, group general manager of marketing for Foodstuffs.

“There’s probably a one in 10 million chance that you can do something that goes viral for bugger all money, if you consider the volume of content on YouTube and various other channels. That’s a lottery ticket chance and the odds are so close to nil it is not funny.”

That isn’t to say organisations can’t make something go viral on a limited budget. But Bayliss and other experts say it isn’t simply about posting quality content on YouTube, then counting the hits.

“Viral content is marketing, communications and advertising,” says Amy Robens, public relations director for Lassoo. Her company consults in all three areas. 

When Lassoo engages a client considering a viral campaign, Robens says they apply a process to decide if that’s the right approach.

“From a media strategy and PR point of view, we brainstorm to understand the objective of the company and if viral is the way to meet those objectives,” she says. “That’s where it starts. We don’t just go for a viral marketing campaign because it’s the in thing. It’s not something you can ‘DIY’ without going through a process.”

When Bayliss gives a presentation on social media, he always shows a photograph of a crowded pub, circa 1975.

“Social media at its heart and soul and core is just people telling other people what they think,” Bayliss says. “You can have the best seeding, social media and viral strategy, but if you’re not doing things worth talking about, people won’t talk about it. You have to be producing something that is so good that people will talk about it and advocate for you.”Read on...

WHAT TRIGGERS A VIRAL

 ARTICLE?

There’s a science behind word of mouth and why things go viral. Six key principles, here is one of them:

,A teenager, Rebecca Black became an internet sensation with her hit song “Friday” The song collected over 300 million views and became the most viral video of 2011. It made Ms. Black a millionaire many times over. There was only one hitch. Everyone hated the song.

Rebecca’s mom had paid record label ARK Music Factory $4,000 to put a song together for her daughter. The result was a somewhat over-produced number about getting up in the morning, going to school, and dealing with big teenage dilemmas like whether to sit in the front seat or the back seat of your friend’s car.

All in all, not the most amazing tune. Indeed, some critics called Friday “the worst song ever” (which if you really think about it is actually quite an accomplishment).

But, if people didn't like the song, why was it so popular? Why did millions of people watch and share the video?

One clue comes from analyzing search data. If you look at the number of searches for “Rebecca Black” on YouTube over time, you’ll notice an interesting pattern. There is a spike in searches and then a decline. Then another spike and a decline. And so on, again and again.

‘Rebecca Black’ on YouTube

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