10 Viral Marketing Campaigns That Took Over the Internet
Viral marketing has become an essential tool for businesses looking to get their message across to a massive audience. With social media platforms and the internet, viral campaigns have become more accessible and effective than ever before. In this article, we will take a look at ten viral marketing campaigns that took over the internet, examine what made them successful, and draw important lessons that businesses can learn from them.
H1 – Introduction
Viral marketing campaigns refer to ideational diffusion applied by brands to achieve massive exposure through social media platforms, online mediums, and other forms of content distribution. The campaigns can be funny, inspiring, thought-provoking, and often have a strong social message. Businesses use viral marketing as a way to engage their audiences, create brand awareness, and generate long-lasting buzz. Let’s take a deep dive into the ten most viral marketing campaigns of all time.
H2 – Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?”
Blendtec, a blender manufacturing company, created a series of videos featuring the company founder blending a variety of items, including an iPhone, marbles, and golf balls. The videos were incredibly entertaining and engaging, and as a result, they went viral. The campaign generated over 945,000 views within five days and expanded the company’s consumer base to include a younger demographic.
H2 – Old Spice’s “The Man your man could smell like”
Old Spice’s “The Man your man could smell like” campaign was a massive hit. The commercials featured a handsome, athletic man who proclaimed that using Old Spice would make any man smell as great as he did. The campaign generated massive engagement and brand awareness, resulting in a 107% sales spike over the next month.
H2 – ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is one of the most successful viral campaigns of all time. People around the world donated to ALS research and challenged others to do the same by dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads. The campaign’s collective donations reached over $220 million, with numerous celebrities, politicians, and even heads of state joining in.
H2 – Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign
Coca-Cola initiated its “Share a Coke” campaign to captivate the sentiments of consumers to generate an emotional appeal. The campaign involved silkscreen personalization of Coke bottles with the most common names and unique syllables. The result was staggering, with an increase in sales and continued customer loyalty to the brand.
H2 – Nike’s “Just Do It”
Nike’s famous slogan, “Just Do It” has become one of the most recognizable brand taglines in history. This campaign exemplifies how simplicity can be used to create an extremely successful viral campaign. The phrase resonated with audiences, inspiring them to go out and pursue their dreams, and helped Nike become the largest athletic apparel brand globally.
H2 – Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches”
Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” campaign focused on the way women’s self-image can be distorted by advertising and social messaging. The commercials featured a forensic artist drawing two sketches of a woman, one based on how she described herself and the other based on how someone else described her. The resulting differences are dramatic and poignant, and the campaign generated significant positive media coverage.
H2 – The Best Job in the World
The Best Job in the World virally caught up, inviting online submissions for the Australian Tourist Board to become a caretaker on Hamilton Island. The concept went viral, and 35,000 people filmed an application, and the applicant winner, Ben Southall, toured 32 countries over six months, blogging about the experiences and coverage. Over 34,000 people voted to name leading to bringing Australia to the world forefront.
H2 – Apple’s “Get a Mac”
Apple’s “Get a Mac” ad campaign compared PCs and Macs, with the same theme-based on how Macs were superior in any way imaginable. These humorous ads gave viewers a better understanding of the differences between Macs and PCs, emphasizing Mac’s usability and leading to an increase in sales worldwide.
H2 – Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry”
Snickers ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ campaign plays into a relatable notion in society. Each ad features an irritable or agitated personality, made manageable by a Snickers bar, which turns them back to being their usual cheerful selves. Snickers reached out to prominent influencers on social media platforms and deployed #hungrythishappens. The campaign result? Over four million YouTube views within the first week.
H2 – Dollar Shave Club
The Dollar Shave Club created a viral campaign through humor, showcasing the flexibility that subscription services can offer. They used a comedic video to highlight their monthly subscription service, which allows individuals to receive razors and blades at discounted prices. Within the first week of launching the video, it had garnered 12,000 orders.
H3 – Conclusion
These ten viral campaigns have one thing in common, and that is the power of emotional appeal, humor, and simplicity. The campaigns’ creativity, essential message, and the use of different social media platform made them memorable and successful, allowing the brands to lift off with increased sales and further interest. Although effective campaigns need not be expensive, it requires a well-thought-out concept and a platform that motivates its target audience genuinely.
H3 – 5 Unique FAQs
1. What made the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge so unique?
Answer – The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went live on social media, showcasing the endeavor and urging individuals to donate money. The campaign’s emotional appeal helped that created purpose-led marketing and provided a significant benefit in terms of raising funds for ALS.
2. Why was Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” campaign so successful?
Answer – Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” campaign showcased their blender’s reliability, versatility and uniqueness. The use of humor, simplicity and entertainment effortlessly captivated the audience’s attention.
3. How did Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign go viral?
Answer – Snickers initiated #hungrythishappens and achieved a landslide victory when several famous social media influencers endorsed the promotions. Within the first week alone, the ad gained over four million YouTube views.
4. What makes a viral campaign effective?
Answer – Viral marketing campaigns must be creative, simple, and have a strong emotional appeal. They should also be shareable, easily accessible, and capable of harnessing different social media platforms’ strengths.
5. Are viral marketing campaigns always expensive?
Answer – No. Although some viral marketing campaigns can be expensive, others are budget-friendly. Effective campaigns mainly require creativity, ingenuity, and an efficient social media strategy.
