Creating a Viral Campaign

Creating an online campaign that ‘goes viral’ is pretty much the goal of every marketer/social media manager!

When you’re trying to get your brand noticed online, there’s nothing quicker or more effective than a viral marketing campaign to spread your message.

But getting lots of people to share your content online can be hard and there’s no real formula for success. To make it a little easier to understand, I’ve put together some of my favourite viral campaigns and the strategies used to make them a success…

1. John Lewis – The Bear & The Hare

Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the 2013 John Lewis Christmas advert?! The ad currently has +15million views on YouTube!

Key to success: Working the emotions

There’s always a lot of hype around the John Lewis Xmas ad but the sentimental content was key to the success of this campaign. It tapped into people’s emotions and generated a huge response. The ad was also cleverly integrated with the retailers social media channels.

2. Three UK – Sing it Kitty

Mobile Phone Company Three brought out this campaign earlier last year and it went viral almost immediately.

Key to success: Allowing & promoting social sharing

This addictive ad was made for sharing and Three even launched SingItKitty.co.uk which allowed users to upload a selfie and sing along to the track before sharing their results on social media.

3. Always – #likeagirl

This campaign started out as a social experiment with the aim of challenging the phrase “like a girl.”

Key to success: Tackling a current issue

Procter & Gamble Co.’s Always ad sparked passion by raising an important social question – this quickly got people talking about (and sharing) the content via social channels.

4. ALS – Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge was a charity campaign that went viral on social media during July/August 2014.

Key to success: Celebrity involvement

Getting celebrities involved in the campaign undoubtedly helped the charity engage people, raise public awareness and encourage charitable donations. The use of social media also allowed the charity to send the challenge (and it’s message) around the world.

5. Channel 4 – #Humans

Channel 4’s marketing team launched a teaser campaign to promote the TV show #humans earlier this month…

Key to success: Multi-channel creativity

The #Humans campaign had it’s own website whilst running on Facebook, Twitter, eBay, and it even had a ‘in-store’ live experience where passers by could interact with synths on virtual screens. Unsurprisingly, this tactic made a huge impact with thousands of people sharing the content & asking “what are ‘synths’, and are they real?!”

While we can’t guarantee your campaign will be a global success, our team will give you a fresh new perspective to your social media marketing, injecting fun, creativity and personality into your company message. And who knows…your campaign might just be the next big thing!