Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

Dear Angy,

Will companies create their own Viral Marketing sections within
the Marketing department? No.

Some will try, but by and large, they'll fail. Here's why:

Marketing campaigns don't become viral by design or through planning: they enter viral realms through social expression, through peer review and recommendation, and through interaction.

Unless you have hundreds of paid staff spreading this FOR you, it's difficult to do it successfully. And if you have staff doing it for you, unless they're carefully managed their message sounds hollow, scripted, and somehow manufactured.

Driving something into viral status takes more than creative endeavor and pots of money: it's something one hopes and prays for but it's not something one can buy one's way into, not effectively.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

I agree with Gary. Some companies may make a "viral" department or give someone the title, but viral marketing is very hard to do. Pretty much every time someone tries to make a viral marketing program, it fails to go viral.

Since I'm working on this subject I might as well throw in my thought on this.

I'd venture to think a product has to meet with the following 3 technical conditions for viral marketing to take effect:
a) must be easy to use (Usability)
b) must be very useful to its target users/consumers not marginally useful (Value)
c) must be very affordable or free (Price)

Then, on the business side, has a strong social media component to facilitate the viral effects and support the product in the process.

Anyone, please feel free to correct me.