Old Spice: Kings of viral marketing.
Outrageous and hilarious ad's that grab the attention of millions of people within days.
Definition of 'Viral Marketing'
"Internet advertising or marketing that spreads exponentially whenever a new user is added. Viral marketing assumes that as each new user starts using the service or product, the advertising will go to everyone with whom that user interacts"
Source:Investopedia- No brand has been more successful with their online advertising as Old Spice with their line of mens hygienic products. The nature of their commercial's have become an internet sensation and leaves viewer's wanting more as they push the boundaries of their ad's with every new commercial.
Video's are becoming increasingly popular way for organizations to market their products online, YouTube becoming one of the main mediums. Old Spices most successful online marketing tool is their YouTube channel, it has become one of the most popular channels on all of YouTube with almost 400,000 subscribers. The reasons for YouTubes popularity is not only the vast amount of users but simplicity in sharing content on other social media platforms. The videos can be easily embedded on sites like FaceBook and Twitter, one doesn't even have to leave the website to view the content. In fact Old Spices most successful commercial ever is embedded in this blog with over 46 million views! It was first played during the 2013 Superbowl and went on to gain millions of views on YouTube within days. If fact it accumulated more views on Youtube than president Barrack Obama's victory speech!
When it comes to content going viral online there are key elements that are needed for the medium to actually become viral. WebmarketingToday has a great article on some of the key ingredients needed for content going viral.
1.Gives away products or services 2.Provides for effortless transfer to others
3.Scales easily from small to very large 4.Exploits common motivations and behaviors
5.Utilizes existing communication networks 6.Takes advantage of others’ resources.
The Brand has been most sucessful from points five to six. Old Spice has a strong presense on the "Big three" social media platforms, YouTube, Facebook and twitter. There videos which were originally being broadcasted on televison first are now posted online either at the same time or even beforehand. People these days spend more time in front of their computer's than T.V's, which can be argued is becoming a dying technology. When people look for entertainment and things to occupy their free time the online world is the first place they go. Old Spice has done great in keeping their ad's fresh by creating new funny, extreme and even strange scenarios.
Recently the brand even added a hidden Easter egg in one of it's Superbowl ad's.
- The phone number written by the woman when actually called gave away free Superbowl tickets. One lucky fan decided to give it a shot and got an experience of a lifetime. This added a whole new level of interaction between Old Spice and it's customers and is sure to generate millions of more views.
Old spice has all the right ingredients for successfully marketing a brand online and is my favorite example to use when discussing this topic. I myself love to watch their commercials just for their sheer entertainment value. Oh and there products are fantastic as well.Storify Link
