Building Virals that generate business
Common qualities of exceptional virals
A great viral is not one that is seen by millions of people. A great viral is one that will generate business, delivering its message to the users in a way that they will take in, remember, and have some fun in the process.
Creating a successful viral is a balancing act between the brand and the users experience. A carefully planned and executed viral avoids the user from feeling like they are participating in an advert whilst the message remains undiluted.
We advocate careful planning to set out clear objectives for the viral before the design process begins. Keeping these points central during all stages of the build ensures that the message behind the viral will not be lost under an overpowering idea and that consumers will happily engage with your brand for a significant period of time – a remarkable way to achieve brand loyalty.
It’s important that while your viral appeals to the masses, the concept itself is designed to appeal directly to your target market. Any good viral campaign is driven by a strong idea. We know the difference between great ideas that will take off and great ideas that won’t.
Playing to win
We believe that the best medium for viral marketing is games. Why? Because a game offers the chance to capture peoples direct attention for an average of 3 to 10 minutes, and allows them the chance to interact with the brand on a very personal level. We can also learn from the way customers interact with the game to discover what was successful and what wasn’t, ensuring the customer is targeted effectively and that success is quantifiably measured.
Games are an incredibly versatile medium. A game can promote a product, build a brand image or deliver a message. They are naturally ‘sticky’ – content people remember and return to. Unlike a traditional advertising campaign which disappears after broadcast has stopped, a game released onto the internet will carry on propagating itself and is likely to stay alive for a period of many years.
Whether you are a company, charity or the government, making people stop and listen to your message is very hard to do. Releasing a game with a few logos in or writing your message in a game wont work; people won’t read the message and if they do, it’s unlikely they’ll take it in. However, by designing games so that the message is central to the game play, so important that the player must learn or take the message on in order to play the game, then it suddenly becomes something people can relate to and remember.
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Introduction
to Viral
Planting
the Viral Seed
Spreading
the Viral Love
Keeping
tabs on your Viral Content
Controlling
the Flow
Other Links
Example
of Viral
Macromedia
Flash™ Viral game
Overview
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