The goal of a viral campaign is that it doesn't perform well in the next 10 minutes; rather, that it have some long-term impact. For example, instead of simply uploading a video on YouTube, think about how your audience will find your content -- are you using the right keywords to provide stronger ties to your brand and your viral marketing effort through SEO? And once your content is discovered, how are you encouraging your audience to remain engaged? Also, is there a clear path of distribution?
The list is exhausting yet necessary if you have any chance at sparking sustainable viral content.
So what does this have to do with sandwiches and my spontaneous thought the other day? Well, I was simply curious to know if the benefits of an almost seven-year-old viral project still proved valuable to Burger King.
This could be challenging. When the burger king campaign launched, The co-developers of the campaign, the term "viral marketing" wasn't yet mainstream and to really make you feel old.
Yet even without the benefits of video aggregation platforms, Facebook and Twitter, the burger king campaign saw 1 million hits the first five days. The average time spent on the site was an amazing 5 minutes and 44 seconds. The campaign over the years has accrued more than 4 million hits.
Back to my original thought: Impressive as its statistics were years ago, does the campaign still provide a benefit to Burger King and how?
Well, impressive SEO results for one! Burger King is #4 on Google when searching the word "chicken" -- only below Wikipedia, recipes, and KFC.
What's more, the Burger King campaign content continues to be discovered through social-media channels such as Twitter, where sentiment is positive and frequency of mention is high.
The façade that is all too easily emulated and completely misunderstood is the "life curve" of a viral campaign. While some companies guarantee viral success, their definition of reaching goals need to be rethought and re-taught. Campaigns via viral marketing are designed to be provocative, yet how does that provocation impact your overall brand marketing strategy? If you start thinking "logistical versus parabolic" then you'll be in great shape. The assumption that all viral contain is good only for the short term amplified brand lift has to continue to be disproved. By embracing sustainability when it comes to your viral campaigns -- thinking through integration strategies, your landing pages, and your content.
