Is Your Promotion Viral, Or Merely Nauseating?
Twenty years ago, if your promotion purported to be “interactive” you were perched on the leading edge. Precariously so, because few promotions were truly interactive. The term nevertheless permanently permeated the promotion tropology.
Buzzwords enter and exit quickly in these changing times, but one new notion that may have longevity is that of “viral.” Before you start bandying the term about, however, give your promotion the “virality” test.
The key attribute of viral promotions is that they are infectious and take on a life of their own. Consumers literally become the metabolic agent. In so doing, they supply the second key ingredient of viral, that of implied endorsement, which is an infectious notion of itself.
Just as interactive promotions were facilitated by emerging telephony technology (remember fax-back?), viral promotions are similarly fueled – especially with the advent of modem technology and its progeny, e-mail.
Seattle Filmworks promotes virally by inviting consumers to view, store, and share their photos online. It’s the sharing that’s infectious. Every time a consumer uses the system to e-mail photos, they are propagating – and endorsing – the Brand.
But can viral apply to packaged goods? You betcha. Take venerable Campbell’s Soup. It has created “Meal-Mail.” Consumers register to get quick and delicious recipes delivered regularly to their inbox. Cool, but not viral, you say? Read on.
Campbell’s then offers a free cookbook to anyone who forwards the Meal-Mail offer to five friends. Why not? Costs nothing. Surely the friends won’t be insulted by receiving free recipes. They might even appreciate the introduction. In fact, they might pass it on in turn! It’s the tried-and-true direct marketing technique of “friend get a friend,” except there is virtually no direct mail cost.
Seen any other good viral promotions? Tell us about them.
Then there are the promotions that create nausea. These are generally not caused by viruses but are more like self-inflicted wounds. Offenders can frequently be observed in the credit card and phone service solicitation business.
Citibank, for example, must realize that its offer is offensive, because it seems ashamed to mention its name on the envelope. Instead, the missive appears to contain a free American Airlines Companion Ticket, or so it says. Consumers have to assume this is true, because a personalized “thanks for flying with us” is right on the envelope – and inside is the consumer’s (private) frequent-flier number!
Only when they get inside the fine print do readers realize they’ve been suckered into yet another credit card offer. What’s most nauseating is that the free ticket offer comes with so many strings, it is nearly worthless to savvy travelers.
Memo to American Airlines: Why let a stranger bollix your brand like this? Surely you understand that your frequent fliers are offended. Furthermore, when your computer allows this offer to be sent to consumers who already have an AA affinity card, it might make them wonder about your ability to track something really important . . . like an airplane. Think about it.
Who says promotion can’t be brand-building? Kudos once again to Jeep, which continues to demonstrate that it understands the power of an offer to make a positive brand statement. Its “Jeep Appreciation Days” advertises a tie-in with ski resorts. The offer “. . . drive up in a Jeep, ski free,” along with some snowy footage, communicates that this is a serious weather vehicle – yet fun to drive.
And that’s the truth.
