MARKETING TIPS

Viral Advertising: An Efficient Marketing Machine Goes Cyberspace

Viral advertising is doing what spam could never dream about: it's working.

Viral advertising isn't the newest way to promote a product or brand, but new technology has recently taken it to a new level. It gets its name from the way it is communicated: person to person, friend to friend. Viral ads are on-line content, often films or games, distributed via e-mail. They aim to be fresh and clever, and they have to be if they are going to work. The idea is that viral ads are so infectious that people can't help but open them, enjoy them and pass them on.

Viral messages do not happen by accident. Although there is often the appearance that someone discovered the tidbit of web content and simply began forwarding it on, these are deliberate and strategic marketing efforts to sell products and reinforce brands.

When it works, it is hard to beat the delivery. A forwarded message from a friend who shares your sense of shock, humor or entertainment arrives in your in-box. You open it and gasp, laugh or smile. A few minutes later, you open it again. Pretty soon you start forwarding the message to your friends and family members with the line "I usually don't forward these things, but…."

These campaigns are relatively inexpensive when compared to traditional modes of communication, like direct mail. Audiences are also more receptive to the messages because they are sent person-to-person. As consumers grow increasingly wary of advertisers' messages, a viral ad comes with a stamp of approval. It is the e-equivalent of word-of-mouth endorsement.

Of course, the tricky part is in creating that message that people will want to share. For Long John Silver, that meant creating a secondary website shrimpbuddy.com, which includes a two-minute buddy flick about a guy and his shrimp pal. Last year's king of viral success took only a man, some dancing and a chicken outfit to launch Burger King's new lineup of Tendercrisp chicken sandwiches. The hook was an eerily funny Web site called subservientchicken.com where visitors were able to type in any command to a man in a chicken suit (even making him breakdance) and the system would magically do it. The mixture of oddity and humor translated into more than 46 million hits in the first week alone, and the link continues to find its way around the globe more than a year later.

These campaigns work because they are unexpected, unpredictable and unparalleled. Although large companies with well-known brands are dabbling in viral advertising, it is still far from the norm. When consumers encounter something that looks like genuine entertainment and an advertisement at the same time, they are naturally curious to find out what is real and what isn't. Since the format is still so new, companies are not yet rehashing old ideas or gimmicks. The ads that stick are the ones that are well done, and the ones that are well done spread like wild fire.

The ads themselves might not even "sell" a product in the traditional way that advertisements do. In fact, some viral ads make it hard to determine what exactly the product is. But in many cases, the point of the ads is to instill a feeling about a company, product or brand. A good viral ad can get people thinking that a certain kind of clothing, car or food is cool just because the ad is, even if the ad had little to do with that particular clothing, car or food.

The Department of Tourism is preparing for its first foray into viral advertising with a clever new Fish Wisconsin online game, an off-shoot of the popular and recently re-released poster with the same name. The Flash-driven game, which gives users the chance to virtually "land the big one," will be launched initially on travelwisconsin.com and through the Department's consumer ezine with the expectation that it will then take on a life of its own.

About this first step into the world of viral marketing, Department Technology Marketing Coordinator John Kuehl says, "This kind of project gives us an opportunity to be a little more bold - to do something that grabs people's attention. Based on its performance we'll have a better idea if these tactics lend themselves to our audience and if we should explore similar creative ideas in the future."

Viral ads can have a tendency to skew young or towards the technologically savvy, so they are not a complete marketing strategy. However, viral advertising can be a low-cost addition to current advertising campaigns and can reach a segment of the market that is typically distrustful of heavy-handed corporate communications, including direct mail and broadcast advertising.

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TECHNOLOGY TIPS

Taking Web Sites To The Next Level, Part II: Rich Media Content & Flash

In the last issue of Travel Wisconsin News we dove into the world of Next Level Web Content, examining when and where they fit into a Web site and looking at a few of the newest tricks and techniques to reach today's e-consumer.

The trend to newer techniques and enriched sites has experienced a recent kick-start with a shift in how users are accessing the Internet. Since its inception, the majority of Web surfers have used a dial-up connection reaching speeds of only 56K, but as of 2005, for the first time a shift has been made toward more high-speed methods including cable, DSL and satellite based systems. This shift has opened the door for programmers and designers alike to pull out their bags of high-tech tricks.

First a quick review of how to determine whether or not you and your audience are the right fit for advanced content. Ask yourself: 

• Is your product visually driven? 
• Is your audience technically savvy? 
• Does your audience look for enriched content? 
• Does the competition actively use advanced web techniques? 
• Do you like to stay ahead of the tech game? 
• Are you confident enough to make mistakes? 
• Do you view a Web site as a process instead of a project?

Are the answers to most of these questions still yes? Well then let's delve into that next great tool…Rich Media Content and Flash.

First, a piece of clarification. In today's web world, all too often the terms Flash and Rich Media Content are used interchangeably. But in fact they are two distinctly different things. Flash refers specifically to Macromedia Flash, a program that allows animations, interactive forms, games and other fun features to be embedded in web pages. Rich Media Content (RMC) encompasses a wealth of different special effects including Flash, Shockwave, streaming video, Real Audio/Video and many others.

So what are a few of the reasons web designers would be interested in RMC? 

• Coolness and stickiness factor 
• Offers movement, sound, video and application functionality 
• High adoption rates. Unlike other new techniques, RMC is widely accepted by users 
• Virtually limitless possibilities. If it can be dreamt, it can be done

RMC provides a wealth of visual aspects from online games to interactive forms, but one of the most effective uses is seen on travelwisconsin.com Virtual Tours section. The Virtual Tours utilizes an interactive state map, which takes visitors on a graphical tour around Wisconsin. With a simple click of the mouse on any of the state's regions, visitors are whisked off to top attractions complete with 360-degree photography and links to Web sites for more information, immersing them in the look and feel of what the area has to offer.

Other RMC ideas for travel Web sites include interactive calendars of events complete with photography or video of each event, live-web cam views of big festivals, streaming video of activities found on the ground, or entertaining Flash introductions to your web page.

Always remember that no matter what type of RMC you decide to use to attract attention, use it sparingly and only where it will create a true benefit to your consumer. The greatest Flash animation wasted if your site isn't up to par, and beating your visitors over the head with animation will drive them away as fast as they came. As in all marketing, Web sites must be a balance of form and function.

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