Class I took at EMDI Institute of Media and Communication

1. @TejDesai

2. hello
@TejDesai

3. VIRAL MARKETING, BUZZ
MARKETING, WORD-OF-MOUTH …
EMDI Institute
February 07, 2013
@TejDesai

4. What is it?
(Discussion)
@TejDesai

5. ITS ALL FRIGGIN’ SAME!!
@TejDesai

6. According to Wikipedia…
It is the interaction of consumers and users of a product or service
which serves to amplify the original marketing message,[1] a
vague but positive association, excitement, or anticipation
about a product or service.
Positive "buzz" is often the goal. The term refers both to the
execution of the marketing technique, and the resulting
goodwill that is created.
It’s a technique that attempts to make each encounter with a
consumer appear to be a unique, spontaneous personal
exchange of information instead of a calculated marketing pitch
choreographed by a professional advertiser
@TejDesai

7. The Sopranos series on HBO, NY
@TejDesai

8. Frontline Flea & Tick Spray from Jakpetz, Pet Emporium - Jakarta
@TejDesai

9. Jeep – Parking space, Copenhagen
@TejDesai

10. Bicycle Shop in Altlandsberg Berlin
@TejDesai

11. Mini Cooper, Zurich
@TejDesai

12. Ballet Classes Ad
@TejDesai

13. Volkswagen – Airport pickup
@TejDesai

14. FitnessFirst – BusStop Ad
@TejDesai

15. THE ORIGIN
@TejDesai

16. One to Many
Make networks work in a way that ideas,
messages, brand names spread rapidly
without much effort.
Virulence is seductive!
@TejDesai

17. ANY GUESSES, WHO THEY ARE?
@TejDesai

18. The reason why some
ideas turn into fads,
a song becomes a massive hit or a
book by an unknown author becomes
a best-seller.
@TejDesai

19. SO HOW DO WE GET VIRAL DISTRIBUTION…
@TejDesai

20. “The key to making
ideas spread quickly is
to find the right handful
of super-influencers to
get the ball rolling”.
- Malcolm Gladwell,
Best-selling Author, Speaker
Law of the Few
@TejDesai

21. “Network effects are too complex
to be reliably reproduced by
targetting only a handful of
influential individuals. Ideas do
spread virally, but how fast this
happens depends on whether or
not everyone is easily infected. If
everyone is susceptible, then
anyone randomly infected can
start an epidemic, rather than
just the highly connected few”.
- Duncan Watts, Social Scientist
Law of the Many
@TejDesai

22. May be both have a point…
How fast something becomes viral
depends upon both
how infectious the carriers are and
how susceptible the population is to
being infected.
@TejDesai

23. Amongst the first few FlashMobs…
London, Liverpool Station, Jan 15, 09, 11am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM @TejDesai

24. Life is better when you share it!
In less than a month, T-Mobile channel on
YouTube had more than 3000 subscribers,
more than 400 comments, over 800k
views and over £1.2m of free media
coverage!
Till date it has garnered over 37mln views!!
@TejDesai

25. Sequel to the Flash Mob Dance
• Generate a real feeling of anticipation and create a
truly unique, memorable moment that everyone
would want to share in.
• Give thousands of people the opportunity to
experience first hand what ‘life's for sharing' is all
about.
@TejDesai

26. Teaser / Announcer
Teaser Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki5absp4Zn4 @TejDesai

27. Activation – Sequel 2
Sing-along Ad, Trafalgar Square, April 30, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orukqxeWmM0 @TejDesai

28. Result
• More than 13500 people gathered in Trafalgar
Square – thinking they could be dancing - no-one had
any idea how the event would unfold.
• They participated in a giant (one-hour karaoke) and
gave them the opportunity to experience first hand
what ‘life's for sharing' is all about.
• In less than 2 weeks they already have over 480k
views on youtube
@TejDesai

29. Result
• More than 13500 people gathered in Trafalgar
Square – thinking they could be dancing - no-one had
any idea how the event would unfold.
• They participated in a giant (one-hour karaoke) and
gave them the opportunity to experience first hand
what ‘life's for sharing' is all about.
• In less than 2 weeks they already have over 480k
views on youtube
@TejDesai

30. World’s no 1 Viewed video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
@TejDesai

31. WITH OVER 1.2 BILLION VIEWS!!!!
@TejDesai

32. SO WHY DID IT GO VIRAL?
@TejDesai

33. @TejDesai

34. And at the same time…
• Catchy Music
• Entertaining / Fun
• Relevant Message : Anti-Materialism theme
• Timing: Recession
• Actions speak louder than words
– Despite that the key words Wop…wop … Gangnam Style is
understood my most!
• Fairly well-known in Korea
@TejDesai

35. And at the same time…
• Reasonably good production values, featuring Popular
comedians, rising young singer, Korea’s Got Talent winner
• Leggy Koreans
• Unexpectedness: ‘What the hell’-ness of the video
• Most importantly, the content is shareable!
@TejDesai

36. AND ACCORDING TO YOUTUBE…
@TejDesai

37. Kevin Allocca, Google
@TejDesai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpxVIwCbBK0

38. Another recent viral video
Over 10 million views in 10 months
@TejDesai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSl8gWsFZ0

39. Another recent viral video
Over 18 million views in less than a month
@TejDesai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_miGclPFGs

40. THUS THERE IS NO REAL FORMULA!
@TejDesai

41. @TejDesai

42. Just a few fundamentals…
• Online support/integration amplifies viralability/WOM
• Human beings are emotional animals
• We respond to emotions generated by specific cues:
Leverage Humour, Absurdity, Surprise, Shock, Intrigue to
name a few
• Content, like contagion spreads through Audience
Networks by harnessing the links between people
• The more random the connections between social
clusters, the better the chance that a piece of media will
achieve super distribution. @TejDesai

43. Just a few fundamentals…
• However the underlying virality is very different to
traditional marketing
• It is NOT enough to merely persuade someone to pay
attention
• They have to be motivated enough to risk their own
personal brand by becoming your advocate!
@TejDesai

44. THUS, LET US CHANGE
OUR THINKING FROM MAKING
‘VIRAL’ CAMPAIGNS
@TejDesai

45. TO
EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGNS THAT
GO VIRAL!
@TejDesai

46. @TejDesai

47. Thank You!
-Tej Desai
Interactive & Engagement Director
LoweMENA
@TejDesai