Going Viral: The Secret Recipe

Go Viral. Source: Tom Fishburne, marketoonist.com

Generating publicity is what marketing is all about, and when an advertising campaign goes viral, you can get it in spades. But sometimes marketing stunts go viral for all the wrong reasons, such as the Peloton exercise bike commercial from 2019 which the Guardian described as "sexist and dystopian" and which provoked widespread public backlash (the Guardian). The negative fallout saw the company's stock value plummet, its bottom line taking a US$1.5 billion hit, according to the Guardian. The ad also spawned numerous internet memes featuring the actress who starred in the commercial—dubbed the Pelotin Girl —with a look of consternation on her face (the Oprah Magazine).

The witty, tongue-in-cheek Dollar Shave Club marketing campaign, on the other hand, was an unmitigated viral success, generating 12,000 new orders within 48 hours of the video being posted—despite the fact that the company only spent a paltry $4,500 on it (Disruptive Advertising). What's more, the video went on to rack up almost 27 million views! When it's done right, viral marketing can yield an amazing ROI. Pulling this off, however, is likened by sproutsocial as akin to catching lightning in a bottle.

'The Pelotin Girl' from 'The Gift that Gives Back.' Source: The Oprah Magazine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI

So what's the secret recipe for creating content that goes viral? Well, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? But, while giving a definitive recipe for success is certainly a tall order, there are a number of key characteristics that most viral content shares. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell gives three key factors that determine whether or not something goes viral. These are: the Stickiness Factor, the Law of the Few, and the Power of Context. What these basically boil down to is (respectively), how memorable or 'sticky' your content is, who is promoting, endorsing, or sharing your content, and whether it 'strikes a chord' with your audience and the times. While the first two are certainly powerful in their own right and not to be discounted, I would argue that the stickiness of the content is the more crucial of the three. After all, if your content is lame or unremarkable, no one's going to share it—accept perhaps to ridicule it, which is not the sort of viral publicity anyone wants.

Best Marketing Degrees suggests that appealing to emotions, doing something surprising, and keeping it simple are some effective techniques for making 'sticky' and engaging content. The Dollar Shave ad certainly ticks the first two boxes by defying viewers' expectations and tickling their funny bones. That it was able to attract 27 million views testifies to the fact that it delivered an experience that many felt was worth sharing. Another great example of a viral video that was both surprising and emotive was a GoPro ad from 2013 that featured a fireman saving a kitten. By pulling at viewers' heartstrings, it succeeded in racking up a staggering 44 million views on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjB_oVeq8Lo

As the GoPro ad amply demonstrates, the real key to creating 'sticky' content with the potential to go viral is crafting experiences that make the audience feel something. Additionally, viral videos usually come out of left field and often defy expectations or surprise us. The experience they deliver is often akin to unwrapping a birthday present, and can thrill and delight us, or move us deeply. And it's experiences like these that make life worth living.

This post was last edited on the 18th of September, 2020. Some minor corrections and formatting changes were made.