Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is a type of marketing technique or strategy used by companies to use their pre existing social networks to create and intensive brand awareness among customers through replicating viral processes which is similar to the spread of disease or computer viruses as the name suggests to leave an ever lasting impact on the buyers and the potential customers so as to convert them into buyers. It mainly focuses on facilitation and encouragement of people to like the marketing idea for themselves and then share and pass it on to their friends and family voluntarily.

Viral marketing includes all the aspects of advertising such as social media networking and presence, video clips, proper usage of internet, interactive games and campaigns, word of mouth and now a days the smart phone which has become the essential part to be looked upon at the time of decided marketing strategies.

Different types of viral marketing are:

Pass along in which the idea is passed from one person to another and then to another and so on and it is widespread mostly on a voluntarily basis. It can be through various mediums like social media, emails and word of mouth.

Buzz Marketing is focused on word of mouth potential in creating a buzz all around, about the product, campaign or the company itself through among the target audience.

Incentive viral provides the customer with valuable and tangible incentive or reward is offered for participation or buying the product in order to drive the sales or other conversions.

Undercover Marketing is type in which the customer is marketed and their buying decisions are influenced without tipping off the customer about the manipulation they are trapped in. Also called stealth marketing, considered as unethical and deceptive by some people.

User Managed Database is the type of marketing in wish the user/buyer itself is creates and manages the list of contacts by a database given online by a service provider and they invite their friends and family member to participate in the campaign thus creating a viral. It works as a self propagating chain which persuades other to join and sign up for the same.

Viral marketing can be done through various mediums such as Social media which is the most common and highly effective in today’s socially active world. Next can be through blogs which can be easily used to portray information where even linking can be initiated. Referral links can be another method by which people can share and refer others through these links on social media. Last and the traditional method used always are the emails which are send to targeted audience.

Viral marketing brings out many advantages to the company which is the reason it is widely used. By this thousands of people can access on the same day. It is the faster way to reach the customer. It also saves cost of advertising for the company and even you can customize the message, messages are easily targeted to exact market in returns the company earns good reputation.

Some of the disadvantages which can create negative impact in consumers mind, it could be annoying to be considered as spam.  It only benefits the company if it reaches the correct audience. The focus of this type of marketing is short term which when once completed will end up the viral leaving company to think for something new and innovative from the earlier one.

Effective viral marketing can only be done with an intelligent sense of social media, because most of them walk through social media. So enhance your social media presence and go viral.

There are various live examples of Viral Marketing in the Industry like Airtel, Kolavedi Di song and many more. We will discuss Coca-Cola as company and its understanding about the viral marketing and how well the company used this technique in the real life.

Following are the Coca-cola’s various steps and campaigns they initiated with some motives which follow, let us have a look over them.

Coke’s Happiness Machine

In 2010, Coke launched video on ‘The happiness machine’ in which the vending machine along with coke gave many gifts and surprises to their customers. It was first set up in New York in a university. This idea was taken up to activate the digital platform for coke and create its digital presence. They uploaded the web video capturing the emotions and the reactions of the students to Coke’s YouTube channel on the first day. The video then moved through the advertising trades before it picked up steam with consumers. In the first five days there were seven hundred thousand views and in the first week it crossed the one million mark. The video hit the top of the viral video chart in that week. This was replicated in Singapore, UAE, Italy, South Africa and in India too.

Coke Music

Coca-Cola took experimented the new technology and created something called CokeMusic.com. This website was a branded virtual meeting place for teenagers who loved music; it was similar to a chatroom. Visitors voted on music mixes played in virtual clubs and won decibels based on how well their mix was perceived by other visitors. It was a club of gamification and viral marketing at its best.

In 2012 Coca-Cola contracted with Spotify and Universal Music to help Australians live special moments of their lives and re-connect with friends and family, by sharing a Coke and a song via Host, Sydney.
The campaign promised to be one of the most ambitious and innovative Coke campaigns till date, connecting people with the power of music, and being activated across digital, social, outdoor and television medium.

Super Bowl Commercials

This is coca cola’s one of the oldest Coca-Cola campaigns involved lovable polar bears enjoying an ice cold Coke. And no matter how many years have passed, Coke pays attention to this campaign by involving the adorable creatures in some of their marketing materials.

The last time they appeared was in 2012 Super Bowl commercials. Two polar bears reacted to the game in real time and viewers could interact through asking questions and posting photos on Facebook and Twitter.

Small World Machine Campaign

Coca-Cola has released a film featuring an experiential campaign, it takes forward the brand’s ‘Open happiness’ proposition – across the borders.

They specially created vending machines which were installed at a shopping mall each in Lahore(Pakistan) and New Delhi. People on either side of the vending machine before buying the coke were invited to ‘Make a friend in Pakistan’ (in New Delhi) and ‘Make a friend in India’, to share a Coca-Cola. The ‘Small World Machines’ provided a live communications portal linking people through a 3D touch screen. They were requested to complete a friendly task together like - waving, touching hands, and draw a peace sign or dance – before the machine dispensed a can of Coca-Cola. The film on YouTube which went viral, features people engaged in the activity and their reactions.

Share a Coke Campaign

The company's "Share a Coke" 2015 summer campaign was one of the best-performing marketing campaigns in Coca-Cola's history. This marketing strategy traded out the company's iconic logo on 20-ounce bottles for the country's most popular names.
In addition to that, consumers could share their experiences and stories in on Twitter with the hashtag #ShareaCoke. Those who shared their stories were entered to have their pictures with the coke can featured on the company's website and across company billboards. The top three reasons why the "Share a Coke" campaign was a success in the market were:

·         Consumers were provoked to participate and create Media content on online platforms

·         Personal level connect with the consumers

·         Use of powerful word in the campaign which calls for action

By all these strategies coca cola as a brand created an impact on the customers mind giving execution and propagation to the viral marketing.