Viral marketing: The new face of advertising

Hundreds of years ago viral marketing was nothing more than word of mouth, sharing stories with friends, tales of the amazing things you have seen and experienced. It would take lifetimes to spread the word around. Now, with the Internet, it literally takes seconds to spread the word from one person to the next. It is no wonder that viral marketing has become so popular. Nowadays it would be nearly impossible to not get caught up in the gimmicks of a viral marketing campaign.

From the biggest movie production company down to a friend with a webcam, everyone is trying to use viral marketing to catch a moment in the spotlight. It has never been easier to get your fifteen seconds of fame either. Someone instant messaging their friend and spreading the video of the skating babies they just found, or emailing a co-worker with the latest blockbuster movie trailer, everyone has the opportunity to share anything with anyone within seconds. After all, who wouldn't want to share something they enjoy with family and friends?

A successful viral marketing campaign comes down to one thing - hooking just one person. A Single person who spread it onto the next, who will in turn do the same, and so on. A great example is the T.V. show LOST, where the producers hook you with commercials during the show that direct you to websites that appear to be real, but are just part of the show's plot. This leaves viewers searching the Internet for more answers only to find more questions. You then find yourself inadvertently caught up in the story line and sharing your thoughts and ideas with people who are on the same quest. Or another great example is of a fast food chain who, in an effort to promote a new chicken sandwich, created a website to promote it. They then advertised through T.V. commercials to drive traffic to the site and create widespread interest in the new menu item.

Movies create a whole new level of opportunities for viral marketing. Just last year J.J. Abram's movie "Cloverfield" used a very successful viral campaign to hype the movie's upcoming release. It became vastly popular, pulling people in with many mysterious websites and photos. When the movie was finally released it left many with mixed feelings about the movie. Some people feeling left with more questions and asking for more, while others were left let down from all the hype. Whether or not the movie lived up to anyone's expectations, there is one fact remains - the viral marketing did it's job. The reason behind it all was to amp up hype about the movie using the Internet. In a time of text messages, e-mail, and tweets you can find viral marketing just about everywhere, and you can expect to see alot more in the future.