5. Two keys to secure the success of viral messages
Our analysis of the comments made by campaign and viral message recipients suggests that emotions may not be enough to secure action, and thereby achieve success. Through scrutiny of the open-ended responses of interviewees, two main themes emerged. First, the campaigns triggered ‘something’ in the respondents who forwarded these messages. The messages captured the imagination of the recipient in such a way as to produce an action: forwarding behavior. Second, the most downloaded campaigns were cleverly targeted. They were sent to cohorts that would be most likely to respond favorably, and subsequently forward the message. Each of these two themes is considered next.
5.1. Viral messages must capture the imagination of the recipient
Our findings identify that the overall success of a campaign, in terms of forwarding behavior, depends on more than just an emotional connection. A campaign must also capture the recipient's imagination in a unique or unforgettable way. We note that 73% of our respondents said they forward campaigns that entail something more than just a great joke (e.g., important messages, something particularly disgusting). Our respondents also indicated that surprise was effective only when coupled with (at least) a second emotion, such as joy (resulting in delight) or disgust (resulting in humor). For example, the Weapons of Mass Destruction campaign was forwarded because of the funny jokes it contained and the surprise (“I thought something else was going to happen”). Raging Cow was forwarded because of the surprising ending, coupled with the use of humor (“I was surprised they would use such a crazy looking cow to promote their product”; “I thought of it as finally, something different, with the sound and everything”). The Honda Accord viral marketing campaign was thought to be “inventive,” “original,” “unique,” “well thought out,” and “nicely made,” with a very novel idea behind the advertising message. The e-Tractions Christmas card received particular attention and was forwarded because of its “malicious delight” and “gross humor.” While the campaign was deemed less funny the more times it was viewed, it was still forwarded to others.
5.2. Viral messages must be cleverly targeted
A well-targeted viral marketing campaign can generate positive response toward the message it conveys and promote subsequent forwarding behavior from recipients; in fact, 44% of our respondents indicated they would send on a campaign that was well targeted. Of the nine campaigns we studied, those deemed to fit this description included Rock the Vote (“good reason to vote,” “everybody should know about the information provided,” “it is relevant to everyone”) and Save BNN (“BNN makes nice programs, so I was surprised by the fact that they could be removed from the television,” “It is a pity that BNN should be removed”). Not all consumers, however, felt the Rock the Vote campaign was successful, believing that the image of a child pointing a gun was “too confronting.” For its part, the sympathy and empathy for BNN and the service it provides resulted in forwarding behavior.
In another example of clever targeting, Motorola increased the success of its viral campaign by using a database containing the e-mail addresses of people who previously registered on the company's website. As these individuals had already shown an interest in Motorola's telephones, they comprised the perfect target group (as compared to sending e-mails to random prospects, who may or may not have been interested in the product). In a period of just two weeks, the campaign grew the original database by 400%. On average, 75% of the recipients referred at least one friend, and 40% clicked on the link to visit Motorola's website to investigate further their V70 model.