We concluded last week’s blog with a reflection: If viral marketing is within reach for all companies, what is everybody waiting for?
Red Bull is a great example of a company that really gets how viral marketing works. While the brand became famous for its witty and cute videos which were crafted to arouse amusement they have recently shifted towards seeking the more powerful awe through extreme sports, such as Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the stratosphere.
However Red Bull’s tactics may not be appropriate for all brands. What works for a company that sells energy drinks may not work for a company that sells, for example, funeral headstones.
STUMP for Viral Marketing Success
Viral video guru Kevin Nalty, author of the highly-praised book “Beyond Viral”, leaves marketers with a viral marketing guiding acronym- STUMP, which stands for Shock, Topical, Unusual, Musical, and Perplex.
However there are many situations in which shock, unusual, musical, and perplex will be misguided strategies (topical will almost always be appropriate). In the case of the funeral headstones shock, unusual and perplex are adjectives which might alienate potential clients; on the other hand musical is a quality of advertisement which might help summon the emotional desire to honor a relative who has just passed away.
It is important to elicit emotions which are consistent with the emotional state of potential clients, and the amusing heights reached by most viral videos is simply not going to work across the board.
On Kevin Nalty’s YouTube page he writes “Hello. I’m Nalts. Join me for sophomoric pranks, kids, farts and fun.” These words bring to mind an Ogilvyism, “People don’t buy from clowns.” Although David Ogilvy is representative of marketing in a different era there is some universality in his message and some truth in it for the very different reality which we live in today.
There is a vast difference between buying an energy drink and investing your hard-earned savings. I want my financial advisor to be a serious- almost boring- person. The same goes for my banker, my doctor, my dentist, my lawyer, my tax consultant, and my real estate agent. When I entrust my health, savings and/or property to someone else, I expect that person to be competent and reliable, and I do not want to be taken on an emotional roller coaster.
The approach to viral marketing which we discussed in last week’s blog and which is espoused by such experts as Kevin Nalty is becoming increasingly better understood; achieving high emotional impact is a feasible result for almost any brand. And yet not every brand should jump at the chance to go viral.
Have you considered if viral marketing would work for your brand? If you liked this post, please subscribe to our e-mail newsletter!