Viral...Marketing!

Upon reading this as our last Keyword Search :( , I thought about what viral marketing really was before I even Googled it.

Viral is associated with virus, so I automatically picture people getting viruses on their computers and completely shutting down the system...

According to Wikipedia, viral marketing is just really using the social media that is already out there (like the popular Facebook and Twitter) to increase "brand awareness".

They put certain viral marketing advertisements on certain websites that marketers believe would be passed along by those visitors of the site.


Forms of Viral Marketing.

This type of marketing can come in the forms of: flash games, ebooks, images, text messages, and even more than that.
They can be as creative as being a mini interactive game to promote their product or as simple as just a pop-up dancing ad in the corner of the site you're visiting at the time.
Any way as long as it grabs your attention.

• When I looked for examples of viral marketing, this website came up and shows different campaigns that companies have used. I never even thought of how much of this I was exposed to until I saw this list.

I've definitely done the Simpsonize Yourself tool before. Which makes me think some companies much either be A. Complete geniuses for thinking about marketing in this perspective or B. Completely desperate to promote their product.
*As a side note, I used one of my pictures to Simpsonize Me just now...and it looks nothing like me....how disappointing.

Another viral marketing promotion I've done is the Subserviant Chicken. I'm sure you've all seen this as well, it's the ad where you can make the Burger King chicken dance!!..or do other weird stuff.

Effective?

Burger King has made both of these viral marketing promos happen...but I can't say they've been really effective to myself.

I don't ever really remember using a viral marketing tool and thinking to myself, "Gee, Simpsonizing myself was fun, let's go to BK now!"
...But then again maybe it works so well that I don't even know it.

This website though discusses how it's said to be one of the best marketing tools we have to date. Maybe so.

How ridiculous.lol.