Relatively recently, the concept of “viral advertising” has appeared in the everyday life of Internet users. This is somewhat not what it is customary to imagine in the interpretation of viruses as such. In fact, initially such advertising was not created for the distribution of viral and malicious codes (although such cases are not uncommon). And any user can create such a presentation for a more successful business, having interested a potential buyer of goods or services. True, for this you will have to plunge a little into the mechanisms of work and marketing.
What is a viral ad?
To begin with, it is worth defining the very concept of viral advertising. As already understood, the spread of viruses in order to harm the user system or the enterprise network is not the main task.
According to statistics, viral advertising on the Internet is more focused on making an Internet user interested in some product or service, so that he not only follows a link (often hidden) to a redirected site, but also disseminates information or methods of transition among his acquaintances. And it’s not always that the Internet is needed for this.
Agree, because even in those days when there was no World Wide Web, people transmitted information that is called by word of mouth. And today such a technique is as relevant and workable as possible. An example is the simplest: a person was “seduced” by a description of a product, went to a store and bought it, after which he immediately told a friend that the price is lower and the quality is higher. Do you think a friend after such a flattering recall will ignore the product? Not! He will buy it to make sure that he really matches everything that was advertised. But the trouble is, often it turns out to be a complete disappointment.
But if we take into account modern network technologies, the question of what virus advertising can really be interpreted as a means of spreading malicious codes or potentially dangerous (or unnecessary) software. In the simplest case, you can look at the installation of some programs that, during the installation process, have various kinds of suggestions for installing additional components, which most often relates to browser add-ons and plug-ins. Most users do not pay attention to this. And this is precisely the main plus for those involved in the creation of this kind of software.
But since now we are talking about how to make such advertising as effective as possible, we will proceed from this. And first you need to find out how it all works both at the Internet level, and in terms of the impact on the psyche of the layman.
The history of viral marketing
As in any other industry, before creating a commercial or banner that a user should be interested in without fail, a statistical market research should be carried out.
Features of viral marketing, the concept of which appeared only in 1996 thanks to Jeffrey Raiport, who in his extensive article talked about possible methods of transmitting information (not always, by the way, positive) from one individual to another, consist in the fact that all this happens quite often almost on a subconscious level.
Some call it word of mouth, others call it the effect of frame 25. Regardless of the interpretation of the term itself, the impact on the human psyche is always the same.
This is the simplest understanding of the activity that is provided for by rollers of this type.But to be honest, the impact on the human psyche is much wider.
Viral advertising: features of human perception
Naturally, when creating a commercial, you need to seriously approach the peculiarities of a person’s perception of a particular action.
Psychologists, as a rule, note several storylines that can interest a potential visitor:
- original and unusual tricks;
- the presence of animals and children in the video;
- hidden and inconspicuous humor;
- models in swimsuits (oriented to the male audience);
- youth and freshness of actors, emphasizing, for example, the use of a particular drug.
These are not all the methods that viral advertising uses on the Internet. But even proceeding from this, it is easy to notice that many react to such videos as quickly as possible and press buttons or transition links, almost without thinking. This is the whole mechanism.
How does it all work?
Now another look at what constitutes a viral advertisement on the Internet. Examples can be given even with the participation of eminent and highly respected world brands. But the main condition is that the brand itself is clearly not advertised, but as if veiled, although the end user is given the message specifically for him.
What is worth seeing for an example? You are welcome! An example of Nikon's viral advertising, clearly designed for a male audience (with a semi-erotic photo), haunts many.
And here is another example of Heineken beer advertising, which, incidentally, is not mentioned at all by the motorcycle manufacturer.
Here is a hot pizza. Remember the animals mentioned? Well, what is not a classic of the genre? Such a video will obviously be viewed both on social networks and on the same YouTube hosting. So why be surprised?
And here is the Hugo Boss. By the way, it is obvious that this is a real installation. But many people peck at it ...
How to interest a potential customer?
The basic principle, which is used almost everywhere, is that information should reach the end user from trusted sources (relatives, friends, acquaintances). The same social networks are a real Klondike, where viral advertising on the Internet has almost unlimited opportunities in terms of distribution. And these are not simple words.
The same viral advertisement VKontakte uses classic methods, aimed at ensuring that users share links and follow them. Networks like Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are not immune from this. Every day, registered users like, share information, and even follow links. The result is obvious.
Estimated Success
However, it turns out that distributing a commercial or presentation is not enough. It is also necessary to consider how much they will become “watchable” and what potential benefits can be drawn from this.
It is quite difficult to predict in advance that some kind of advertisement will become the most viewed (even with a professional approach). But if you look at the same YouTube service, then this is supported even by its own hosting capabilities, which for a very nominal fee offers to promote the published video. And here it is important to pay attention to the first or second day of publication.
Everything new is submitted to the main page. So that the content does not become outdated, he needs, to put it mildly, constantly "kick in the ass", exposing it as the newest. Look, at one time, advertising for the new Subaru XV model gained just nine million views in the first five days alone, and a video advertising canned beans with astronauts on the moon earned even more - 11 million. LG IPS Matrix TV Advertising - 17 Million In general, many examples can be cited for a long time.
But how to calculate whether the video will become popular? To get started, you’ll need to include the most frequently mentioned phrases in your search terms in your title or tags.To do this, in the simplest case, you can use the same Yandex keyword statistics for the selected topic (wordstat.yandex) in relation to the region. It would be nice to get the support of popular bloggers, which can also play a significant role in the distribution of advertising.
Using the viral calendar
This is also one of the methods of promotion. It consists in the fact that on the eve of some significant or global event, to advertise your product under the guise. What did it come to December 2012 in connection with the upcoming Mayan Apocalypse! Services appeared from the provision of forgiveness from the Almighty to the construction of underground bunkers.
And the sale of plots on the moon? Is this not the result of viral advertising? What is the use of Johnny Depp or Nicole Kidman owning lunar territory? Anyway, they cannot get there or build something there. But is this not an element of self-affirmation in the so-called elite society? The result is the very effect that viral advertising uses. The techniques used in it are not limited to this, since it is primarily aimed at the ordinary man in the street. And here it is worth focusing on it.
Provocation as a method of advertising promotion
The provocative method also works well. For example, a banner with a notice like “Soon we have a surprise for any customer” is posted on the website of the online store.
Intrigue? Yes! And this is what makes most Internet users go to the site and see what it is so interesting.
Certification Issues
Some advertisers do even easier. They officially verify certificates of authenticity, such as the acclaimed certificate of enslavement of the world.
In it, by the way, there is one hidden "trick". If you look closely at the image itself, you can see a special blog insertion code below. But why is that all? It would seem complete nonsense ... But no. If you look at the statistics, it’s amazing how many users have created such a certificate.
Conclusion
In general, it remains only to say that if you want your viral advertising on the Internet to work at one hundred percent, you should consider absolutely all aspects related not only to creating a high-quality presentation, but also to questions about people's worldview. To come up with something universal will not work, but to do something that can be perceived by most of the society is possible (and quite simple). Here the essence of the question boils down only to giving a potential user a certain psychological attitude, due to which he will follow a link on the Internet to get more specific information or share a publication, tell his friends about it, or he will use the service to prove that all this is really the way it is advertised.