EXAMPLES OF CAMPAIGNS WHICH USE VIRAL MARKETING
An off-season sports promotion:
To build fan loyalty, a sports team offers free window decals to the first 10,000 fans who request them. The team sends an e-mail with the offer to the heads of the local fan websites and requests them to pass along the news to their friends. If successful, for the cost of 10,000 decals, the team gets the names, addresses and e-mails of 10,000 potential ticket holders.
A trial balloon:
An auto company wants to test reception to some auto design concepts among car enthusiasts. It leaks the images to a known enthusiast on a bulletin board who promptly posts them and sends them to his friends. The auto company monitors the bulletin for reactions.
A grassroots campaign:
An environmental group opposed to development of a scenic piece of land wants to gather thousands of signatures from citizens who share its view. It sends an e-mail message to known allies that protests against the developer’s plan and includes a link to a Web site where supporters can add their names to a petition. E.g.: The recent reservation issue
Health awareness:
A blood-glucose meter manufacturer wants to get closer to diabetics who use its product so it can keep them up to date on new meters. The manufacturer offers a month’s worth of free test strips used in the meters to the first 5,000 diabetics who come to a special page on its web site to register. It sends an e-mail announcing this with a link to three bulletin boards run by activists in diabetes healthcare issues.
Toy promotion:
A fast-food chain is taking delivery of a 500,000 toys of a popular action figure from a hit movie. The chain sends an e-mail with attached photo to the heads of two unofficial fan sites for the film and let them know that the action figures will be given away with a purchase of standard meal.
An internal memo:
A CEO, wishing to radiate some news informally through the management ranks, sends e-mail to his top executives with the information and suggests they might wish to pass it on to their managers.
A publication promotion:
A fan publication wants to raise awareness with potential readers. It sends an e-mail to heads of fan bulletin boards in which there are photos of 20 backsides of celebrities and a challenge to match the celebrity to her butt. The quiz includes the name of the publication.
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