Viral Marketing- Champagne Audience on a Beer Budget
May 11th, 2007 posted by Brent WilsonViral Marketing has caused quite a stir in the marketing world recently, something similar to what Reality-TV has done for network television. Take this example of NBC promoting “The Office” and “My Name is Earl” on the social network site YouTube. Although this form of viral marketing is not as subtle as other word of mouth endorsements you may find in blog threads or chat rooms nor as ostentatious as the recent Cartoon Network sign/bomb-scare promoting the movie release of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”, this particular clip from NBC was viewed by over 344,477 subscribers.
344,477 subscribers!
The value of this audience in terms of a print media buy or a 2 minute spot on broadcast television would run in the tens of thousands of dollars. The cost to place this ad on YouTube… nothing.
The success of this ad is its content- humorous self abasement with a raw, “genuine” feel. Content is still king, and a good, creative, resonating, strategic form of messaging could cost a sizable investment of time and money. However, the cost savings on insertions and the multiple forums available to place this type of marketing make this form of promotion worth the price.
Coming soon: Viral Marketing and the Business-To-Business World