Viral masterclass: The Revolution Masterclass on viral marketing

It would be easy to create a hilarious campaign using video clips, sound files, online games, microsites or text, but notorious content won't necessarily help your brand.

"It's paramount before creating a viral campaign for marketers to consider strategy and planning, and look at formats and execution second," says Justin Kirby, managing director of viral marketing specialist Digital Media Communications (DMC). "If it was simply about exposure, you would continually see streakers at the cricket with logos on their back."

Appropriate timing

"Brands need to consider why they are turning to viral," he warns. "Viral is a useful tool when used strategically to maintain or boost a cost-effective level of brand awareness during above-the-line 'downtime'." Releasing web-only viral material that retains the brand and campaign themes can do this.

A good example is the web-exclusive video viral For Fox Sake, which was launched by DMC for charity the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), with content by Velocity Advertising and Maverick Media. It urges the government to act on its pledge to ban the hunting of foxes with dogs.

The spoof shows a man in a fox costume on the run in the city, chased by a pack of pretend dogs and a huntsman in a Land Rover. It ends with a hard-hitting shot of the real outcome of hunting. Viewers are urged to click through to the IFAW site to lobby MPs.

Brands can use viral to create a buzz online and offer something exclusive to users, such as a viral edit of an above-the-line ad before it hits TV.

Viral is also a powerful standalone marketing tool for brands that can't afford above-the-line advertising or need only online distribution to a widespread target group. "When Hotmail added a line of promotional text at the end of every message, within 18 months they'd signed 12 million people up for $500,000 (£270,000)," explains Kirby.

The Liberal Democrats used viral to campaign online for Simon Hughes as London Mayor during the June elections. Digital agency 2020 promo developed a game in which players had to steer Tory candidate Steve Norris from a plummeting Jarvis shares indicator over bottles of champagne to land in a pile of cash. "For a London Mayoral campaign we can't exceed £1 million," explains Liberal Democrat spokesman Richard Stokoe. "There's no way billboard ads would cut through. This game is simple and engaging."

Integrated marketing

Before considering format, brands have to decide how viral will sit within a product's overall marketing strategy. "It is easy to view viral as the panacea for all marketing challenges," explains Tom Adams, communications director at digital agency Mook. "When approaching any kind of marketing, you have to look at the bigger picture. Viral is usually perceived as a way to run low-cost, high-reaching campaigns, but it is wrong to do this without referencing existing marketing and investing in planning and seeding."

Mook used viral as part of an integrated campaign to promote The Times' compact format. The agency produced an interactive Scrabble(TM) game, which complemented other online campaigns, and ran alongside the £1m Scrabble promotion in The Times compact this spring.

The game invited players to achieve their highest score in four turns and challenge their friends to do better. A wordplay-driven banner was launched on www.timesonline.co.uk, appealing to the bored and distracted, and an initial seed email was sent to 250,000 users already registered with the site. Nearly 300,000 games were played, which included 6,872 registrants who played 74,024 games. Of the friends they challenged, 891 completed games and became registered game users. James Law, digital marketing manager at The Times, explains: "The online Scrabble game was a natural extension of our promotional activity for The Times compact."

Relevant content

Once a brand knows why it wants to use viral, and how it fits in with its overall marketing strategy, the creative development must be evaluated; marketers need to ask if the creative idea helps communicate a positive message about the brand. DMC's Kirby comments: "Viral marketing needs to be a means to an end, not just an end in itself. For example, more than 100 million people saw the recent Subservient Chicken campaign in just over a month. But how many people will remember it was promoting a sandwich and, perhaps more importantly, that it was for Burger King rather than KFC?"

Marketers need to ensure that the exposure they generate is helping recall of their brand. The Virgin Mobile ad aims to do this. Xtina Spotted is a viral version of a TV ad created by advertising consultancy Rainey Kelly Campbell/Y&R with planning, seeding and tracking by DMC. Christina Aguilera is seen in a seemingly compromising position, re-enforcing the above-the-line advertising, and the tagline: 'The devil makes work for idle thumbs.' Kirby adds: "Getting something to go viral is only part of it. What's just as important is that the campaign also creates a wider buzz and helps shift product in the real world."

Entertainment value

Viral must have entertainment value, as well as a brand message, for it to be forwarded in the first place. Viral marketing specialist The Viral Factory developed the Trojan Games campaign to promote the condom brand. The campaign parodied Olympic events, substituting them with sexual sports such as Pelvic Power Lifting and Masters of Precision Vaulting, and was named best online creative of the year by Creative Showcase, an initiative developed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau to encourage creativity online. According to the agency, the Trojan Games file has been downloaded 30 million times.

Matthew Smith, of the Viral Factory, says: "Strong creative, clever strategy and good offline back-up were key to its success. Creativity will drive your campaign. Unlike TV ads sitting in a bought media space with a captive audience, you have to give the consumer something they'll want to pass on."

This doesn't always mean rib-splitting clips, sexual or shocking material. "Plenty of funny stuff doesn't go viral," he insists. "It was natural to use the sexual theme for the Trojan campaign because it matched the brand, but you have to be clever with it."

Viral doesn't have to be extreme, Smith says: "That's what we're all doing at the moment, but I expect we'll all grow up sooner or later and find other reasons to send material on."

He advises that, when putting together creative, you should ask: 'Will the target audience like it?' "People forward on cute things: babies and animals. It may seem trite and ephemeral, but something sweet is just as likely to get attention. You can get a whole office laughing with singing hippos."

Chris Baylis, creative communications director at Profero, emphasises that there should be value to the user in forwarding a viral email. Profero devised a viral microsite for Tesco to encourage people to look at Tesco.com with the aim of positioning it as a leading e-tailer in the electrical, entertainment and mobile categories. Customers could compile a wish list by browsing the whole Tesco range and 'fantasy shopping'. They were encouraged by the opportunity to win £1,000 of Tesco products of their choice.

"Running twice in 2003 (in August and December) the 'Wish List' is one of the most successful viral mechanics ever employed by Profero," says Baylis.

Another vital element is "buzzability", according to DMC's Kirby: "Successful virals are measured not just by how far they have spread but by how much buzz they have created." Is it sensational, exciting, relevant, and is it news? Does the message contain humour or intrigue, and is it simple to pass on?

Nicole Morse, marketing and production director at Lycos UK, agrees virals must have value for the user, even if they are spreading a serious message: "People must be sure that when they pass it on, they make a difference or a contribution. Ask what emotions it's playing on - the 'did you know' factor? Or is it playing on moral responsibility or guilt?"

She finds online games offer value to competitive users, which results in a high spreadability score. "Displaying the ranking of the top viral game scorers plays into the hands of those with a competitive nature," Morse explains. "There is also a segment of users who can't resist seeing their name in the top ranking. Peer-to-peer games are most popular and use the benefits of the internet best to ensure that people see it; they also need to pass the game on."

This May, Fiat launched a viral microsite to create a buzz around its new Panda, launched in January, and to build on previous advertising. The site, featuring proud tortoises watching a hatchling, with the strapline: 'A new breed of Panda', was developed by Arc Interactive and produced by The Viral Factory. Launched on sites such as www.kontraband.com, www.punchbaby.com and www.stupidvideos.com, according to Arc Interactive, the microsite was downloaded 165,000 times in its first week.

Rikke Wichmann-Bruun, account director at Arc Interactive, says you can use viral to make a strong statement online: "It's important to differentiate online from TV. Online is limited in terms of file size and sound, and shooting should be approached differently. You can be more edgy and daring online."

Lycos' Morse adds that virals should remain intriguing and never be a blatant ad: "As soon as this happens, it loses the pass-it-on appeal."

If in doubt, it would be well worth having a look at some examples of virals. Plenty can be found online at www.creativeshowcase.net, an industry showcase for great online advertising.

Before embarking on a campaign, it is essential to take a brand risk assessment: "It's important not to confuse generating exposure with building brand," says Kirby. "Take the Ford Ka 'decapitated cat' viral ad. Whether it was officially endorsed by Ford or not, it did a pretty good job of repositioning a not very outstanding (car) into a gnarly beast. But was the short term tactical win for the repositioned Ka worth the longer-term strategic loss of alienating large numbers of animal-lovers from the Ford brand?"

Create dialogue

Viral can be used to interpret a proposition in a different way by creating dialogue and engaging people more actively than through traditional media.

"Think of it as a prompt for communication," says Mook's Adams. He emphasises that viral is not a discipline in itself, but a way to further the reach of a campaign and form a relationship with an audience.

"You want to get people to talk back and build on the way someone feels about the brand. You need to get one message to as many people as possible through as many channels as possible." Seeding is important. When Mook created an online campaign for TV channel Bravo to promote controversial series The World's Deadliest Gangs, the brief was to boost ratings and awareness and to use a sophisticated tone, as well as reducing the cost per user.

Mook set up an underground live video web chat with an LA Gangster called Pirate, who was played by an actor. It was seeded with emails to the Bravo database and by rich media banner advertising to drive people to the site. The 'live chat' was in fact an intelligent engine that responded to random questions realistically. After a two-minute session, the chat closed down to reveal a branded endplate with a strong call to watch the show. More than 20,000 unique users visited the site, with a quarter of all traffic driven by peer recommendation.

"It's all about getting people to your destination and identifying with your product," says Adams. "The campaign captured the essence of the show and brand in a way that complemented its content and inspired people to talk about content."

Plan the launch

"Once you've mastered the content, you need a platform from which to launch the viral," explains Morse. "You need to be sure that you've found your influencers - a hotbed of people who are sure to start your viral. This is what the loyal users of the Lycos Cheeky Email Chart guarantee."

Kirby adds: "The quality of your content will (determine) how far it will spread, but to seed a good campaign is more like PR than media buying. You need to place material on sites, which leads to experts to advocate your material editorially on sites like Punchbaby and the Lycos Viral Charts."

MASTERCLASS PANEL

Justin Kirby is managing director of Digital Media Communications (DMC). In the mid-80s Kirby worked on pioneering multimedia installation projects. He founded DMC, which specialises in planning, seeding and tracking online viral and buzz marketing campaigns, in 1994.

Tom Adams, communications director, Mook. Adams was a founding director of Mook in 1999 and before that was part of the lead creative team at the iGroup, the e-business division of the Computer Center.

Nicole Morse, marketing and production director, Lycos UK. Morse was named Lycos UK marketing director in August 2000 and became marketing and production director in June 2003. She is responsible for the overall brand and for marketing and promoting the portal.

SONY ERICSSON USES VIRAL GAME TO TARGET YOUNG USERS

Media communications specialist Mediaedge:cia commissioned digital agency Skive Creative to produce a viral game to promote the Sony Ericsson T310 mobile. The objective was to raise awareness of the product among young consumers, targeting students or first-jobbers, and drive people to the skatepark-themed T310 microsite at www.skive-creative.com/parklife/indexx.htm. Sony Ericsson wanted to reinforce the message that it leads in imaging, gaming and connectivity.

The execution needed to tie in with the game Tony Hawk's ProSkater 4, which was available to play on the phone. The game had to be passed on 'virally', the T310 mobile needed to feature in the game, but creating a highly playable game was a key requirement.

Sony Ericsson considers its target 16-24 year-old demographic to be technically adept, highly critical and extremely internet-savvy. With this in mind, Skive devised an "old skool" platform game, Park Life, played over ten levels. The game was developed with a strong male bias and aimed to take advantage of the show-off mentality with an online high-score table.

Gamers collect 'bits' of skateboards around an urban landscape, avoiding hazards such as razor wire, cherry bombs and rival gang members. At the end of each level, users receive a "text" on their virtual T310 to find out where to go next.

The game featured forward-to-a-friend capabilities, with the chance to win limited edition music CDs and a soundtrack.

The home page received 838,771 page impressions, according to the agency. Pre-game registration was deemed off-putting, and actual 'plays' per user session were not recorded.

The results revealed a 53 per cent increase in online advertising awareness among the target audience according to research company Dynamic Logic.

The execution was forwarded (using the in-game forwarding mechanic) 3,194 times, according to Skive Creative.

TOP TIPS ON VIRAL MARKETING

1. Is viral right for you? If you're not willing to take risks and let your agency have lots of fun, you should stick to traditional campaigns.

2. Just because you call it viral doesn't mean it will be. Ask yourself, would I send this on?

3. Don't spam. Viral means peer-to-peer - there needs to be an element of discovery and early adoption, however.

4. You have to seed your viral. You only reap what you sow - so you still need to buy those email lists and provide media support.

5. Dig deep. You only get what you pay for. Don't expect to be able to build your brand and reach thousands of people for small change.

6. Get to the point. No one wants to invest any more than a matter of minutes investigating your brand online, no matter how clever the idea.

7. Be original. Not another 'surprise' innuendo at the end of a viral clip - it's not going to make someone send it on or buy your product. Original means never before seen.

8. You have to give people something. If you can't give people a prize, at least give them kudos - like telling a joke in the playground, the first person to pass it on needs to look cooler than everyone else.

9. Why send it to a friend? You send it to friends because if they win, you win too. You may have to double your prize fund, but it could double the people who see your viral.

10. Work with a proven digital advertising agency - after all, they understand the medium better.

- Thanks to Chris Baylis, creative communications director, Profero

CHECKLIST

Questions that should be asked when developing a viral marketing campaign

- Have you made it forward-friendly? Include a simple, prominent 'send to a friend' function

- Will your viral make it through a firewall? Try circulating a simple web site address instead

- Can you depend on your target audience to participate? Keep it to people who instinctively enjoy forwarding things on

- Looking to harvest data? Be careful not to ask for too much information up front

- When are you planning to seed your viral? It's easier on Friday afternoon than early Monday

- Are you trying to shoehorn in too much? Try to avoid fussy detail in such small dimensions

- Will your viral travel well? Audiences worldwide will react differently to titillation or innuendo

- Could your idea be more topical? Virals which put a twist on the news can spread like wildfire

Thanks to Matt Powell, Profero.