Key Takeaways
1. Viral marketing offers huge, low-cost reach, but comes with real risks: little control, no guarantee of success, and the chance of backlash. Since a campaign that truly goes viral takes on a life of its own, brands can't fully control how it's perceived, and a campaign meant to be funny or edgy can just as easily be seen as offensive or disingenuous.
2. Successful viral campaigns tend to share a few traits: strong emotional appeal, easy shareability, and a genuine feel. Whether it's Duolingo leaning into its own internet meme culture or the Ice Bucket Challenge's simple, time-boxed structure, the campaigns that spread widely usually give people something simple and emotionally resonant to share, rather than something that feels like a traditional ad.
3. Viral marketing and referral programs work best together rather than as substitutes for one another. Viral content is good at generating awareness quickly, but that attention is usually short-lived, so pairing a viral moment with a referral program gives a business a way to actually convert that spike in attention into loyal, tracked customers rather than letting the engagement fade once the trend moves on.
Elementary my dear marketer! ReferralHero is on the case, hunting down clues for the most effective marketing tactics around. Together, we'll uncover the secrets to successful marketing and solve the mystery of gaining loyal customers through referrals. The game’s afoot!
If you talk to anyone online, from top marketers to influencers to teens having fun, they’ll tell you their white whale is a viral video. Being the algorithm’s chosen one for even a day can skyrocket your online presence.
When a marketing campaign reaches viral proportions, your brand can light up the screens of millions of new people. This reach alone makes going viral a top priority for many digital marketers.
However, the algorithm is a fickle thing, and creating content that gets noticed is a moving target. If you want to make an impact, it helps to understand what makes something go viral, and what’s worked in the past. Let’s take a look!
What is Viral Marketing
“Going Viral” is the most coveted honour across the internet. For some time, you end up on the screens of nearly every person scrolling through social media, and may even become a household reference.
Viral marketing is all about harnessing the explosive power of this phenomenon and using it to build brand recognition. When done right, this technique can get your company in front of countless people who never would have seen it otherwise. What’s more, as folks share your content again and again, it goes far without you paying for ad space.
By creating content that is compelling, sharable, and resonates with your audience, you can get them to do the work of marketing for you with a simple click of the share button.
Viral campaigns can reach a huge audience and garner a wild amount of engagement through
- Sharability - Content should be easily sharable across platforms, enabling it to reach an audience beyond its initial target group
- Emotional Appeal - By evoking strong emotions like awe, humour, or inspiration, you can encourage people to share content unprompted
- Authenticity - The currency of social media is authenticity. By using user-generated content, or creating something that feels sincere, you can get past people’s distrust and encourage sharing
As social media becomes more and more prevalent, digital marketing has turned to virality as a core goal.
The Pros and Cons of Viral Marketing
With any marketing campaign, there are pros and cons to consider. Viral marketing is no different.
Pros
There’s a lot to love about virality, including
- Cost-Effective - When a viral marketing campaign takes off, it spreads without any additional resources coming from you
- Rapid Sharing - As people share your campaign, it can spread across social media platforms at lightning speed
- Brand Visibility - Users who have never heard of your company before are likely to see your ad on their feeds
- Brand Identity - Many viral campaigns can help your brand establish itself as something folks can relate to
- Major Engagement - Viral marketing leads to a huge boost in likes, shares, mentions, and overall engagement with your brand
You can make a huge impact with relatively few resources when you strike viral gold.
Cons
Even the best strategies have some downsides. For viral marketing these include
- Lack of Control - Once a campaign has gone truly viral, it takes on a life of its own and you won’t have much say over what happens to it
- Unprecedented Results - There is no guarantee that a viral marketing campaign will be successful, there is always an element of luck
- Risk of Backlash - Viral campaigns always have the potential of going viral for the wrong reasons. If they are perceived as disingenuous, or offensive, everyone will know about you but no one will like you
- Short-Lived Impact - By their very nature, viral campaigns lead to short-term spikes in engagement, so you must strike while the iron is hot
As powerful as virality can be, smart marketers will diversify their strategy with other things like referrals and brand advocates. With over 34 million videos posted a day on TikTok alone, the margin for error is slim.
Top 5 Viral Marketing Campaigns
Even though the same strategy will never make you go viral twice, there’s still a lot we can learn from examining viral campaigns of the past. Let’s look at a few of the most memorable viral ads of the last decade and see what tips and tricks can be gleaned.
Duolingo
For most brands, if the internet jokes about your mascot sneaking into users’ homes and attacking them, it’s time for a rebrand. For Duolingo though, this was an opportunity to make some magic.
Tapping into Tiktok’s unique culture and sense of humour, the language learning app’s marketing team started to play with Duo’s internet persona. Their mascot has been filmed doing all manner of things, quickly becoming a darling of the app and getting shared endlessly.
Duolingo has used multiple different jokes and premises since premiering their mascot online, and none have overstayed their welcome. From a slightly unhinged Duo holding the marketing team hostage, to a drawn-out marriage proposal to Dua Lipa, to their recent “Duolingo on Ice” campaign, there is never a dull moment.
Key Takeaways
- Understanding the role your brand already plays in internet discourse is key. Even if the lore around your company seems negative or abrasive, playing into it makes you a part of the in-crowd
- Know when to switch gears. The internet moves on quickly and if you have a fresh spin on your content you can keep their attention for longer
- Understand the platform you are on. Keeping an eye on trends and acting on them immediately is key to staying relevant on TikTock, so you need to be willing to play by their rules
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Taking a few steps back from our modern digital scene, let's zoom in on one of the most viral trends of 2014. Chances are you remember having a big bucket of ice poured over your head, or at least seeing legions of people participate in the ALS ice bucket challenge.
This campaign focused on raising money and awareness about ALS through a challenge video. Participants would either donate money, get iced, or both, then nominate three friends who had 24 hours to do the same. Huge celebrities even got in on the fun, leading to widespread participation and awareness.
Key Takeaways
- Make sharing fun by including a challenge, contest, or activity that can be easily understood and executed
- If you include a call-to-action in your campaign, it should be simple, easy to understand, and get people to share and kick off a viral loop
- Bringing influencers into your campaign, especially when it is structured like a challenge, is a great way to encourage engagement and reach wider audiences
- Giving time constraints like 24 hours helps build momentum and keep the campaign going
- Linking your campaign to a good cause encourages people to share, and establishes your company’s core values
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Another iconic campaign that has been iterated upon many times is Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercials. These commercials seemed scientifically engineered for virality, featuring surprising humour that fit right in with the YouTube stars of the day.
After the success of the commercials, Twitter was alight with people praising it, sharing it, and engaging with the Old Spice page. The team behind the campaign jumped on the hype train and filmed over 200 personalized videos responding to brand mentions. This response only boosted engagement, with more people racing to comment and get a video of their own.
Key Takeaways
- Follow up your campaign with continued engagement. It doesn't need to be as complex and time-consuming as a full video for hundreds of comments, but responding to comments, shares, and reactions keeps the momentum going
- If your content is surprising, funny, and fits in with the trends of the time, people will share and talk about it
This Barbie Is
In the months leading up to its release, the Barbie marketing team created a lot of buzz. One of the most viral moments in their campaign was the character introductions. These striking, simple images were paired with the phrase “This Barbie is…” and a pithy description. The internet was instantly smitten.
While the format itself was simple to replicate and endlessly memeable, the team took it one step further by creating an AI tool that could make “this Barbie is” photos instantly. This made the trend accessible to everyone and led to some truly all-encompassing coverage.
Key Takeaways
- An easily replicable formula allows campaigns to take on a life of their own through user-generated content. You can encourage this by building tools for people to generate content in a few clicks
- Using a meme format gives users creative freedom, and can make your campaign part of the internet zeitgeist
- Trendy tools like AI get people’s attention, and tying them into your campaign can get more people invested
Corpse Paint
Liquid Death has gone viral several times with edgy limited releases. They seem to have it down to an art, barely needing to reference their canned water any more to build brand loyalty. Their recent collaboration with Elf Cosmetics is no different.
The SNL-style announcement reads as satire, with a seemingly discordant mix of pink-clad young girls and a fully decked-out metalhead. The video itself is endlessly sharable and instantly spread across the internet, bringing Liquid Death to Elf’s community.
Key Takeaways
- Unexpected partnerships can garner interest and spread your brand to a wider audience
- Having a strong brand identity allows you to take more risks with marketing, focusing on the story you’re telling and the viral potential of an idea
- When you tie a viral campaign to a product launch or a limited-time offer, you can capitalize on the short-lived impact of virality
- Use viral marketing to help support the overall story of your brand, showing off the kinds of people who should engage with you
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can any brand go viral?
Any brand can go viral, but not every brand will. Virality requires a combination of quality content, emotional appeal, platform understanding, and luck. The key is to create content that resonates with your audience and makes them want to share.
2. How do I measure the success of a viral campaign?
Track reach, engagement (likes, shares, comments), website traffic, conversion rates, and referral activity. The best viral campaigns don't just generate views—they generate customers.
3. How long does a viral campaign's impact last?
Most viral campaigns have a short-term impact—days to weeks. To sustain the momentum, have a follow-up plan: referral programs, email capture, product trials, or a series of content that keeps the conversation going.
4. Can I create a viral campaign on a small budget?
Yes—many viral campaigns started with minimal budgets. The Ice Bucket Challenge and "This Barbie Is" campaigns had low production costs. Creativity and emotional appeal matter more than budget.
5. How do viral marketing and referral programs work together?
Viral marketing creates awareness. Referral programs convert that awareness into loyal customers. Viral content brings new people to your brand. Your referral program captures them and encourages them to share with their networks, creating a viral loop.
6. What's the biggest risk of viral marketing?
The biggest risk is going viral for the wrong reasons—backlash, negative attention, or association with spam. Always consider the potential downside of your campaign and have a crisis communication plan ready.
7. Should I focus on viral marketing or referral programs?
Both. Viral marketing is great for creating awareness, but referral programs are better for converting that awareness into loyal customers. The most successful brands use both.
8. How do I know if my content has viral potential?
Test it with a small audience first. Look for high engagement rates, shares, and positive sentiment. If a small group loves it, there's a good chance a larger group will too. But remember, virality always involves some element of luck.
The Bottom Line
Virality can give your brand an earth-shattering amount of attention and brand recognition in a short amount of time. Handled correctly, it can be a shortcut to reaching a wide audience and building brand loyalty.
By working to understand the climate of the social media platforms your audience is on, you can create campaigns that are genuine, fun, and endlessly sharable.
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