Comments on: The problem(s) with viral http://nativehq.com/index.php/2009/11/the-problems-with-viral/ Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:36:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Carl Morris http://nativehq.com/index.php/2009/11/the-problems-with-viral/comment-page-1/#comment-4153 Carl Morris Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:02:32 +0000 http://nativehq.com/?p=431#comment-4153 The Star Wars kid hated the popularity of that video. The "viral effect" happened to him, he was a victim of it! Which makes me think about the converse and whether that could also be true. If you desire the "virality" too much, you will NOT experience it! With this, I think the first will be last. Your "target market" are so good at spotting motives these days, they can smell desperation. But they will warm to honesty and innocence. You CANNOT fake these things. (The best you might hope for is a discussion of your advertising campaign itself, rather than the actual product.) It could be a hangover from TV advertising where you have to be original to stand out. The web distributes originality more evenly. Therefore the only scarcity is the truly human stuff. The Star Wars kid hated the popularity of that video. The “viral effect” happened to him, he was a victim of it!

Which makes me think about the converse and whether that could also be true. If you desire the “virality” too much, you will NOT experience it!

With this, I think the first will be last.

Your “target market” are so good at spotting motives these days, they can smell desperation.

But they will warm to honesty and innocence. You CANNOT fake these things. (The best you might hope for is a discussion of your advertising campaign itself, rather than the actual product.)

It could be a hangover from TV advertising where you have to be original to stand out. The web distributes originality more evenly. Therefore the only scarcity is the truly human stuff.

]]> By: Nick Welsh http://nativehq.com/index.php/2009/11/the-problems-with-viral/comment-page-1/#comment-4146 Nick Welsh Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:20:56 +0000 http://nativehq.com/?p=431#comment-4146 I like this Carl - I especially like the observation about letting viral 'do all the hard work'. Viral annoys me too - "let's just put it out there". It's nonsense. But I think viral can also just kind of happen too...the crowd at that festival in the States who all join in with the idiot dancing or the people at that wedding who all come into the church dancing like MC Hammer or that fat kid doing his light sabre routine. As you point out though, these things aren't selling anything. Not sure I've seen anything truly memorable from a top brand that is. I like this Carl – I especially like the observation about letting viral ‘do all the hard work’. Viral annoys me too – “let’s just put it out there”. It’s nonsense.

But I think viral can also just kind of happen too…the crowd at that festival in the States who all join in with the idiot dancing or the people at that wedding who all come into the church dancing like MC Hammer or that fat kid doing his light sabre routine.

As you point out though, these things aren’t selling anything. Not sure I’ve seen anything truly memorable from a top brand that is.

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