So far all my blogs have taken the stance that viral advertising is most definitely the way forward and something all companies should be striving for, however is this statement true? To be clear we must first define what viral marketing is. Wilson (2000) describes viral marketing as any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, thus creating the potential for exponential growth in the exposure and influence of the message. Therefore, the concept refers to a message that spreads to other people because the first recipient liked it and chose to send the message on to others, using what some people prefer to call ‘word-of-mouse’ communication (Klopper, 2002).
Although there is much evidence proving the inclusion of a viral marketing strategy in a company’s operations is beneficial, there are reasons that exist which suggest it can also have adverse effects. As expressed by Krishnamurthy (2000), the problems that can hinder a viral advertising campaign include:
• Brand Control: Should an advert be successful in going viral, it is then out of the firms control. Knowing precisely who is viewing the content is impossible to measure, many being people outside of the initial circle the firm was trying to connect with, therefore the content could be viewed as something it is not. As well as this, it is possible for the message to be modified by people with the acumen and knowledge to do so before being shared or passed on, leading to variability and uncertainty, potentially being harmful. Furthermore, should the content be shared via email some consumers may perceive the content as spam, thus having a negative impact on the brand image (Klopper, 2002).
• Uncharted Growth: Viral marketing can lead to unanticipated exponential growth patterns. This may force firms to alter strategic direction to cope with demand in a relatively short period of time, whilst attempting to stay in control and fully understand the necessary processes. This was the case for email providers ‘Hotmail’, in which many individuals in India began emailing each other, contributing to the use of the Hotmail service shooting up and it was unsure as to whether the company expected this growth or even wanted it.
• Lack of Measurement: The challenge of measuring whether a viral advertising campaign is effective or successful can be extremely difficult. It is very difficult to track or measure where a sale has come from, was it a result of the advert campaign or just a generic sale from other sources? Being unable to track the results of a campaign renders it useless, particularly as there are other marketing strategies which can be adopted which enable increased ease of measurement.
Thevenot & Watier (2001) document their worries with viral marketing campaigns, agreeing with Klopper (2002) that viral content being confused with spam messages is a major concern for viral marketing. They state ‘companies wishing to use viral marketing campaigns need to make sure the motivation they offer persons to spread the buzz is not so great that it encourages spamming’. Spam messages can exhaust a potential customer’s patience and affiliation with a brand; even turning the consumer against a brand due to spam messages. Klopper (2002) suggests that a way to get around this obstacle is having a disclaimer at the top or beginning of the viral content reminding consumers that they did ‘opt-in’ to receive this content, however at the same time the content must always carry an ‘opt-out’ option should the consumer wish to do so.
It is important for a company who is looking to develop a viral ad campaign to recognise and understand the areas of vulnerability and problem before implementing their campaign. In the digital age, it might well be possible to include consumers in marketing and let them spread the word to millions around the world. However, companies that pursue this tactic should remember that it is no miracle cure for their marketing ills. At best, it is a way to support a broad marketing programme. At worst, it is an awful little bug spread by desperate marketers and their unsuspecting consumers. Below is an example where viral marketing has taken a turn for the worse, in this case at the expense of Microsoft!
References
Klopper, H.B. (2002) Viral Marketing: A Powerful, But Dangerous Marketing Tool. South African Journal Of Information Management. Vol. 4 (Issue 2).
Krishnamurthy, S. (2000) Is Viral Marketing All It’s Cracked up to Be? Click Z. 9 May 2000 [Online] http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1703213/is-viral-marketing-all-its-cracked-be [accessed 3 May 2014]
Thevenot, C. & Watier, K. (2001) Viral Marketing. Washington: Georgetown University Press
Wilson, R.F. 2000. The six simple principles of viral marketing. Web Marketing Today (70):1–4. [Online]. < http://www.jrlenterprises.com/viral-marketing.htm > [accessed 27 April 2015]