Why People Hate Your Viral Marketing

I love this.. In fact, I just wrote something similar: http://flrrsh.com/blog/2010/02/community-first-...

My problem with 'viral' or 'word of mouth' is that it's basically a cop-out. It's trying to get the benefits of the Web (info spreading quickly) without the hard work of building a community around your brand. That takes time. People just want something quick and easy that will make them money.

But then we don't have squirrels with rocket launchers? I couldn't live in that world Ben.

:) Amen.

Thanks!

Ari, it's more of an example then a case study. The things I was trying to illustrate were the bolded statements...not the validity/virality of the actual videos.

But then we don't have squirrels with rocket launchers? I couldn't live in that world Ben.

:) Amen.

Thanks!

Ari, it's more of an example then a case study. The things I was trying to illustrate were the bolded statements...not the validity/virality of the actual videos.

It's not always possible, but take for example what Seth Godin does...something new very often (often every day).

My point is that you need to practice before you preach. There are a lot of people blogging because they think it's an easy $ than because they are Lifestyle Designers.

I'm just saying it's the same old crap everywhere you look, and at some point, it has to stop. Like you said, it's a matter of taking the safe road.

Although some people are able to provide fresh content every couple weeks - Its not realistic to expect everyone to create posts within a niche that no one else has ever come up with. It can be expected that if you subscribe to five personal branding blogs you are going to come across at least 3 posts about "Optimizing your online brand using Twitter." If you subscribe to a bunch of Lifestyle Design blogs you're sure to find 4 posts about working less and playing more. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that most people don't do it on purpose.

I think when bloggers focus on a specific topic there are only a number of ideas out there for them to share. If everyone acted upon their niche passions instead of taking the safe road (Social Media, Branding, Lifestyle Design, Etc) we'd see less "recycled posts." That however, will never happen.

I wasn't referring to any specific statement, but by recycled I guess I mean the lack of new ideas that are surfacing. People speak before they practice and almost 99% of the blogs I've read are examples of this.

Lots of repeating what the experts say without really understanding why they're doing it.

I don't think you can say all viral success is random. I mean look at the Numa Numa guy campaign with Geico. I think its pretty obvious that a video like that is going to go viral before it is even made. Now I do agree with you with the unsustainable aspect of viral marketing. These viral videos tend to have an extreme spike and then die down gradually...

If you're referring to me saying "I'll definitely be coming back to it when looking for examples of failed Viral campaigns" (Keep Reading) If not "MY BAD" -

I value what Stuart has put together here and would argue its the best example of Viral Marketing failures I've seen in some time. I would never go steal all the videos & blurbs and make my own post claiming Stuarts work to be my own. Nor would I change the words or add an extra video here or there - I would however, share this link on LinkedIn or another network if someone asked for a solid case study where Viral Videos failed or something similar.

Do you think that sharing a link with someone else is recycling content or just when they straight up steal the content? I'd go with the latter but that's just my opinion.

Love this post... An actually honest post about why you aren't liked... Because YOU messed up. Seriously, if you have a good product, your honest, and your are polite: you probably will do well for yourself.

Nice Post. Thank you for taking the time to spell it out so neatly.

Hold on a minute, Stuart. Your entire article is about why videos are or are not viral, yet video for video, they appear the same. Where are the number of views, where are the number of comments? Or, do you judge each aforementioned "case study" solely on the quotation you include about it?

Clever summaries.

Two thoughts: Viral success is random, and it is fleeting. To go viral, you have to experiment because no one can predict what will take off. And even if you succeed, the downside of the viral popularity curve is as steep as the upside. Skittles? Subservient chicken? Good stuff, and now all over.

The problem with viral is it is unpredictable and unsustainable. I'd spend the marketing dollars somewhere else.

It bugs me...unless they link and give credit.

;)

Nice post. The recycled content thing is really starting to bug me...quite a bit actually.

Toestor- Great point about "perceived to be genuine." I forget to mention it, but whether it's SM authenticity, brand value, anything really, it's always about perception.

Great post! This was not only entertaining but also very informative and thought provoking. When companies try to hard to go viral they usually fail drastically. I'm not sure if there are any apprentice fans in the house but a few years back when they were hired to make a viral ad they all failed drastically. They tried too hard!

If its too sexy - people wont share it cause they don't want to seem like a perve. If its too funny - it may become corny and no one wants to be seen as the guy with the horrible sense of humor. These are some great examples of viral marketing failures! Thanks for making this post, i'll definitely be coming back to it when looking for examples of failed Viral campaigns..

Love the info. I'd like to duplicate it but... well, you know

So many people slap "Go Viral" into their Business Plan! I will be linking to this post as required reading for students and starters alike from now on! I guess this is not the place to say that I find the Motrin Mom video hilarious, ineffective, but hilarious. I think there is no safe place to admit to liking this video:)

True. But, lawyers do keep us marketers honest on things like this (if only to give us pause).

Thanks Davina. Seeding, seeding and more seeding is required for any ATTEMPT at viral marketing.

To go in and assume that you aren't going to do any work and let the content speak for itself? That's just plain dumb.

Content is only viral if people see it.

Approved!

I don't hate viral marketing because I am not a fan of viral content to begin with. Take Coke and Mentos for example; it was viral marketing, either intentional or unintentional but that was the effect that it had. Everyone and their mother wanted to see if they could do the same. Some ads, like the Motrin ad, were outright disrespectful. But the bobsled and the movie tie-in; who really cares? The bobsled had over 600,000 views, which technically makes it a success even if people do not go out right away they will in time. In fact I might go by nestle crunch right now because I wasn't thinking about it previously; I never eat those candy bars. The skateboarder made me want to go find the original video, in fact given the high budget of the ad I would probably prefer to watch that more than whatever low budget video they stole that idea from.

What marketers understand is that viral marketing often fails because they tend to use ideas that are entirely too big. In fact the only really disingenuous thing about the nestle crunch ad is that a Black man in Akron was doing that for years and posted videos, and that is probably where they got the idea from. However, if you never saw those videos you wouldn't know any better. There was a point in time where "ninja jumping", or whatever you call it, like jumping from one floor of a building onto the top of a garage or jumping over a dog that is coming at you into a tree was really cool. But I don't know anyone who watches those videos anymore so they are sort of late to the party.

"That's why a woman in Los Angeles is suing Toyota for $10 million after being on the receiving end of a Punk'd-style stunt to promote the Toyota Matrix." That and the fact that some lawyer in this litigious society of ours saw an opportunity to make money :).

Other than that: Great Article!

And: Davina, I would say "perceived to be genuine" rather than just "genuine" (especially since there is some doubt as to whether the "pants on the ground" phenom actually was "genuine") ... It remains funny nonetheless.

I'm stealing this.

Stuart, Think you nailed it. I think most people hate the corporate "viral" content because it's manufactured, prefab, tested, riffed from better sources and sucks. It's totally fake, rhymes with bovine feces. It's not real, a la AT&T's fake blogger guy talking about the network and the iPhone. Sure "viral" needs a push, like an Atlanta rapper whose "Pants on the Ground" takes off after AI exposure but it needs to be genuine to connect to "real" people. FWIW.