Business FighterDevelopt the stratagy and become a winner!

VIRAL advertising has had a chequered history, but with the social networking boom, there’s no doubt it has become an established and effective advertising form.

It is a low-cost alternative to TV and other traditional advertising, while offering the implicit strengths of an online campaign, such as data capture, engaging the right audiences and driving sales.

A well-executed viral marketing campaign will have success far beyond its expected reach and audience.

Take Pepsi – its video of David Beckham on a beach holding a can of the soft drink, while performing tricks, went viral within minutes. It was viewed 2m times in less than a week. It sparked worldwide media interest and online discussions as debates over its authenticity raged. All of that translated into excellent brand awareness for Pepsi, as its viral was shared and re-shared.

Everton FC and music festival, Creamfields, are two local brands that have enjoyed great success by regularly opting for viral campaigns to drive ticket sales and awareness.

Successful viral campaigns need to be fun and creative to provoke emotion and encourage audiences to share content. With so many distribution channels, they are easy to transmit by utilising outlets such as email, SMS and social networks.

If it hits the right notes, the culture of online sharing means a viral can be seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

In its simplest form, all you need is a creative idea that will turn heads and get people talking. By creating something that people want to share with others, your brand can gain visibility in a low-cost and highly effective way.

INTERNET entrepreneur Ben Hatton is founder and managing director of Liverpool agency Rippleffect

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