This has always been one of my favorite concepts in marketing: it’s inexpensive, farily easy to implement, and wildly successful. Unfortunately, it still seems to be one of the most misunderstood concepts in marketing as well.
DirecTV is running a series of advertisements that make fun of “the Cable Company” and it’s inability to actually manage or produce a quality product. Until last night, I found the commercials merely boring – then I saw a new one. When asked how cable can better compete with DirecTV, one of the fictional managers suggests, “we go viral,” then makes a crack about the blogosphere and breaks into laughter. The message is that viral marketing and blogging are ineffective or otherwise poor ways to market their product.
I think it’s the word, “viral,” that we choose to describe this topic. In reality, “viral marketing” is the same thing as “buzz marketing,” the exact campaign DirecTV is trying to ignite with it’s anti-cable message. The more people talk about shady business management (whether real or fictionalized on TV), the more business DirecTV will gain in return.
Are there terms in your field that gain infamy despite the fact that they are useful, productive business concepts? Why do you think they have been misused?
Success breeds contempt! Viral marketing has achieved such remarkable success that it becomes a parody. Perhaps Youtube inadvertently contributed to this with some of their outrageous videos.
The fact remains that a successful viral marketing campaign can build a business overnight and create an unforgettable brand.
Pat,
I think you are very right. Anything that becomes wildly successful begins to offend rather than inspire. It’s a phenomenon that has puzzled me for years, but it happens nonetheless.