It isn’t very difficult to make a marketing campaign. All you need is an original song, some eye-catching images, and a thought provoking statement. But if you want the campaign to continue working for the brand, then you will need a message as well as a method which has the ability to go viral and sustain the buzz over a long period of time.
It is also important that audiences are engaged through experimental campaigns which are supposed to help remember the brand. You will probably have a budget for the marketing campaign as well which means you will need to capitalize on each piece of content that is put out to ensure your message multiplies without additional investment.
Here are a few tips to help you understand how to turn a onetime ad into a campaign which is guaranteed to get shared:
Give your customers what they want
You need to give your customers an experience that is real and they will remember. This is the only way in which you can be certain that they will share it in the future too. The “Up for Whatever” campaign by Bud Light managed to do this while taking over Crested Butte in Colorado. It planted its trademark blue throughout Main Street and branded the benches and lampposts as well.
One more excellent example is the “Gotham” campaign which Fox ran during the San Diego Comic-Con this year. It featured a zip line in the streets as well as Gotham themed police cars by Uber that were offering free rides.
Remember, the key here is to give attendees the opportunity to share and to collect memorabilia which will keep those sharing even after the event. Too bad this show is pretty much a waste of time though. Many people believe why you even live in Gotham with this many criminals?
Maximizing shareability
You could also adapt your original message and then make it work for various channels. Bud’s campaign combined live, gamified, social, and content marketing.
Their content was shareable since it was addictive, fun, and easy to digest. It also tapped into the fear of a customer to “miss out”. They even made their message multiply through social media by capturing all the results of their events and activities.
Tug at their hearts
One other recent campaign which went viral was Always’ #LIKEAGIRL campaign which struck at an emotional level with people. It illuminated the destructive, negative connotations behind this phrase. The video showed girls turning this phrase into a statement of power and strength instead of weakness.
Always was able to create a long-lasting emotional impact on its audience by picking apart a confidence problem on screen. They then built on the feeling through a multifaceted campaign.
Use the fans
Leveraging the support of fans can also help if you can use their enthusiasm properly. Identify the largest supporters, the ones with the most comments and most recommendations. These people are going to be more than willing to help spread your message. You could even invite them to be brand ambassadors and then reward them with free tickets for events.
Finish the book
Any campaign which is to grow from an amazing advertisement to a campaign that lasts forever will need to be planned carefully. It must include the scope to evolve and grow to be able to involve new audiences and other products.
If you want a brand to go viral, you will first need to make it so that no one can resist sharing the campaign. Create a message that can be experienced firsthand and activate all channels so that the message can be shared and multiplied.