Going Viral

When things go viral now it is a lot different to how it was before we had access to the Internet. News and gossip would have spread most likely through word of mouth or television, and it would have been within a smaller proximity. Now, with just a few clicks of a button, news can spread just overnight to people all over the world.

After reviewing the 6 principles of (Jonah Berger’s, 2013) STEPPS framework, I was able to understand why people share things online, and what influences them to share. I was intrigued, therefore decided to look further into this topic.

I came across an interesting video of Kevin Allocca on Ted Talks, as he discusses the three reasons why content becomes viral. He stated that tastemakers, communities of participation and unexpectedness are the reason behind this phenomenon, and how an ordinary person like you or me, could become famous by Saturday.

Tastemakers such as someone with a large following, brings new and interesting content to a larger audience, which results in more exposure for that content. A group of tastemakers or an individual can take a point of view, and share it with a larger audience, which results in accelerating the viral process.

Participation of individuals and groups also contributes to viral content as the more people share, the more viral the content becomes. A reason why people participate may be because they feel included, and apart of the content. The Nyan cat is a great example of participation, as it was just a joke in the beginning, but turned into a viral video, as edited versions of the cat made everyone feel included, therefore more inclined to share.

Unexpectedness is another reason why content becomes viral, and could be due to a million reasons. However, due to the fact that content is uploaded to the Internet, every second of the day, creators who make unique content, are able to shine more amongst others.

Viral content can also be applied to businesses to increase sales, traffic to site, and eWOM etc. According to (Ho, 2010), viral marketing typically starts with the marketer creating some form of electronic content such as a video or a mini-site, the aim of which is usually brand building.

The good

Doves campaign for real beauty in 2003 is a good example of viral content. The campaign included six ordinary women of different backgrounds, in their underwear. It was a ground breaking advertisement using ‘real women’ complete with curves, and normal length legs, and within a month sales of the Dove range of firming creams had doubled, it increased sales by 700% (The Guardian, 2004). Relating this example to (Jonah Berger’s, 2012) framework, the principle that may contribute to this is social currency, emotion, public, and stories.

The bad

SeaWorld is an example of a company who has been negatively affected by viral content. A documentary called ‘Blackfish’ by CNN tarnished SeaWorld’s public image, as it revealed their unfair treatment on Orca whales. The company’s stock plummeted 33%, and revenue fell 1.5% to $405.2 million last quarter (Market Watch, 2014). (Jonah Berger’s, 2013) principles for this example could be triggers, emotion, public, and practical value.

Going viral can help an individual and brand in many ways if done right, as it can lead to an increase in exposure and awareness. If done the wrong way, it can cause a lot of harm. However, many people argue that bad publicity is still good publicity, as according to (Stanford Business, 201) it can increase sales when a product or company is relatively unknown, simply because it stimulates product awareness.

Have you ever shared something viral? If you don’t mind me asking, what was your reason behind it?

Feel free to comment below for discussion.