What is "Viral"

Surprisingly enough, "Viral Marketing" has been around since 1997. The term was coined by Draper Fisher Jurvetson in a Netscape newsletter talking about Hotmail's tactic of adding a blurb at the bottom of every email promoting free email. As a result Hotmail grew its subscriber base from zero to 12 million users in 18 months.

Viral can be used in describing buzz around a popular product or service, special promotions or "Free Prize" marketing initiatives, a joke, bizarre piece of content, referral incentives and more. Networked communications allows for this buzz to be spread at a rate never seen before. When something online creates this buzz it is considered to have "gone viral".

These users have become independent distribution channels that when networked together can create a very loud voice. It has come to people's attention that the right content, properly seeded, can use this powerful voice to promote ideas, products and services, entertainment and social commentary. The person to person distribution of the information is highly effective because of the indirect endorsement that goes along with it. The receiver of the information will be more inclined to review the material if it is coming from a trusted source. Because of the immediacy of the communication, that receiver will be more inclined to pass the information along to all of their associates, friends and family members who may have interest in the material.

Companies have been trying to harness contagious advertising and they measure of its success is whether is has 'gone viral' or not. What are the characteristics of something viral and why do so many contagious campaigns never even get off the ground. Can one create a contagious campaign and be able to successfully anticipate how viral it will get?

I take a look at a hand full of viral pieces and see what about them appealed to so many people. Some have been seeded and others have taken on a life of there own. I will also take a look at a few examples that fell flat on their face and what they missed in their quest for glory.

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