Viral marketing

To companies and advertising agencies, viral marketing looks like the new Holy Grail. In reality, according to a study carried out by Jupiter Research Sales in late 2009, only 15% of viral campaigns actually achieve their goal. The fact is that there are plenty of campaigns doing the rounds of the internet, but internet users are unable to clearly identify which brand they are advertising. You don’t always know who is behind the latest catchy video clip. To capture the attention of the internet user, communicators need to be not just creative but incredibly innovative as well, and it is not surprising that they get carried away and overlook the brand itself and the fact that what they are doing is supposed to drive up sales.

What’s more, viral marketing can become a real nightmare for some companies or well-known personalities. Absolutely anyone armed with a mobile phone can play the evil paparazzo and post images online of a celebrity or company director that are likely to discredit them. The funnier or more shocking the clip, the greater the chances it will spread far and wide on the internet, and fast.

Video clips can also be faked, in which case viral marketing works every bit as well and leaves just as many traces. The Nestlé group recently had to face a smear campaign (or awareness raising, depending on whose side you are on) by Greenpeace. This militant organisation had put a video clip on YouTube with a “Twilight” vampire look and feel, criticising the unintended consequences for orang utans of the use of palm oil. In the video, Greenpeace turned around the famous “Have a break – have a Kit Kat” slogan to plead for a break for the orang utans. The clip was all over the internet, causing the Swiss group a major headache