STOP SAYING VIRAL!

HOW MANY TIMES HAS A CLIENT APPROACHED YOU AND SAID “WE’D LIKE YOU TO MAKE

US A VIRAL OR A CREATIVE TEAM “I HAVE A REALLY GREAT IDEA FOR A VIRAL”

WELL WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY THAT? WHAT IS A VIRAL? …

I THINK WE’D ALL AGREE THIS IS A VIRAL.

BUT IS THIS A VIRAL? IT SURE GOT PASSED AROUND A LOT.

AND WHAT ABOUT THIS CHAIN LETTER?….

I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT THE DEFINITION OF VIRAL IS A LITTLE FUZZY. AND IS USED TO CHARACTERIZE A WIDE RANGE OF BEHAVIORS: SENDING LINKS BY

EMAIL, MASHUPS, CLIPS, MOVIES, COMMERCIALS ETC.

SO WHAT MAKES SOMETHING VIRAL?

NO DOUBT WE’VE ALL HEARD SOMEONE SAY AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER:

“VIRAL MEDIA IS VIRAL BECAUSE IT SPREADS LIKE A VIRUS”.

WELL I’D LIKE TO QUESTION THAT PRESUMPTIONBY WILL LION ON FLICKR

A VIRUS IS ESSENTIALLY A SET OF GENETIC INSTRUCTIONS WRAPPED IN A PROTEIN.

ONCE ATTACHED TO THE HOST CELL, THE VIRUS INJECTS ITS INSTRUCTION INTO THE

CELL, REPLICATES ITSELF, THEN DETACHES FROM THE HOST CELL IN ORDER TO FIND A

NEW CELL TO COMMANDEER.

THE ONLY PURPOSE OF A VIRUS IS TO PRODUCE MORE OF ITSELF.

//Douglas Rushkoff

THE VIRAL METAPHOR IS FLAWED

WE BEGAN APPLYING THE VIRAL TERM TO DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS WITH THE INVENTION

OF THE COMPUTER VIRUS. THIS MADE SENSE AS THEIR PRIMARY FUNCTION WAS TO

REPRODUCE THEMSELVES; SEIZE THE NORMAL FUNCTIONS OF THE SYSTEM AND

INFECT EVERY HOST FILE ACCESSED

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

@BUD_CADDELL

s&feature=player_embedded670WmMcqp7http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

WHEN MARKETERS REALIZED WE WERE SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME WITHIN

NETWORKED DIGITAL SYSTEMS, AND MORE EXAMPLES OF HIGHLY SHARED CONTENT

APPEARED THEY STARTED PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT WE WERE WATCHING NOT

BOTHERING TO WONDER WHY WE WERE SHARING AND SPREADING CLIPS OF SILLY MEN

DANCING RATHER THAN THEIR AWARD WINNING ADS

@BUD_CADDELL

INNEVITABLY MARKETERS DECIDED THERE MUST BE SOME TRUTH TO THE VIRAL

METAPHOR IF WE WERE CONTAMINATING OTHER PEOPLE LIKE AS IF IT WAS THE FLU.

TO THEM IT MUST HAVE SEEMED THAT IF NUMA NUMA COULD HAVE MILLIONS OF VIEWS,

ALMOST ANYTHING COULD.

REGARDLESS, THE VIRAL TERM WAS APPLIED TO THESE VIDEOS AND TOOK HOLD.

@bud_caddell

@BUD_CADDELL

SO WHAT IF WE USE THE WORD VIRAL - IT’S JUST SEMANTICS RIGHT? WRONG.WORDS MATTER. ARTISTIC LICENSE SHOULD BE USED TO ILLUMINATE, NOT TO OBFUSCATE.

@FARIS

THE CONCEPT OF VIRAL MEDIA IS FLAWED FOR MANY MORE REASONS

THE IDEA OF VIRAL MEDIA BREAKS DOWN BECAUSE IT IS AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION THAT STRIPS ASIDE THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS IN WHICH IDEAS CIRCULATE AND THE CONSCIOUS HUMAN CHOICES WHICH DETERMINE WHICH IDEAS

ARE PASSED ALONG. @FARIS

“When we say something is viral

we focus entirely on the content itself

and not on the needs of the people

that we are asking to spread our ideas”

@Faris

VIRUSES DON’T SELF PROPAGATE AND WORDS DO MATTER. VIRAL ASSUMES THE MECHANICS FOR DISTRIBUTION ARE BUILT RIGHT IN.THEY ARE NOT.

IN FACT, WHEN WE FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON THE CONTENT, WE END UP

WITH A VIRAL METRICS SYSTEM THAT DEFINES VIRAL SUCCESS BY A VIRAL’S

“STICKYNESS” –HOW MANY VIEWS A VIRAL GOT AND HOW MANY PEOPLE

WATCHED

BY HELGE TENNO

WE NEED TO STOP COUNTING EYEBALLS AND OPT FOR THE “SPREADABILITY”MODEL THAT FACTORS IN OTHER CONSIDERATIONS LIKE WOM, BUZZ, AND THE

FACT THAT IDEAS GET TRANSFORMED, REPURPOSED, REMIXED OR

DISTORTED AS THEY PASS FROM HAND TO HAND.

DvhqPnJzns0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

BECAUSE IT IS ONLY WHEN CONSUMERS MAKE THE BRAND MESSAGE THEIR OWN, BY TRANSFORMING IT AND REPURPOSING IT THAT IT TAKES ON SOCIAL WORTH AND ENTERS POP CULTURE OR WHAT HENRY JENKINS CALLS THE GIFT ECONOMY (MORE ABOUT THAT A LITTLE LATER)

ANOTHER REASON THE STICKYNESS MODEL DOESN’T WORK:

IT FOCUSES ON THE INDIVIDUAL RATHER THAN THE SOCIAL NETWORK AND DOESN’T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FACT CONSUMERS DO NOT LIVE ON ANY PARTICULAR SITE BUT RATHER LIVE ON A VARIETY OF ONLINE PLATFORMS– CONSTANTLY SWITCHING BETWEEN THEM.

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF MINE…

WE’RE MISSING THE POINT. AND THE POINT IS PEOPLE.

“People don’t engage with each other

to exchange viruses. People exchange

viruses as an excuse to engage with

each other”

Douglas Rushkoff

WE CONVENIENTLY ASSUME THAT VIRALS ARE PUSHED WHEN IN FACT THEY ARE PULLED.

EXPERIENCES ARE SPREAD DELIBERATELY. BY PEOPLE.

THESE EXCHANGES HAVE A SOCIAL FUNCTION, BOTH PHATIC AND GENEROUS. PEOPLE DO NOT SPREAD THINGS FOR THE SAKE OF SPREADING THEM. THEY OPERATE WITHIN A GIFT ECONOMY, WHERE VALUE IS GENERATED IN TRANSFERENCE, NOT PURCHASE.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/praisecheeses/3924338139/

@FARIS

Coca cola college

COCA COLA INVITED COLLEGE STUDENTS TO EXPERIENCE THE HAPPINESS FACTORY VIA"THE HAPPINESS MACHINE". GO BUY A COKE AND YOU MIGHT END UP WITH TEN, OR A PIZZA, OR A TWENTY FOOT SUB.

8iCbjXHVG9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_

A GROUP OF ART LOVERS TRYING TO PROMOTE ART & YOUNG ARTISTS SET OUT ON A PROJECT TO CHANGE THE FACE OF NEW YORK’S TIMES SQUARE AND PLASTER IT WITH ART

THE SUZUKI CAR BRAND TRYING TO MAKE RECESSION A LITTLE EASIER ON THEIR DRIVERS TOOK OVER A PETROL STATION AND SUBSIDIZED FUEL PRICES WITH A 30% DISCOUNT FOR A DAY

@POLLEMAAGT

SO HOW DO YOU MEASURE VIRAL?

@ANADK

WE NEED TO FORGET ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE THINGS VIRAL AND BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SPREAD AND WHY.

WELL WE HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN ABOUT THE GIFT ECONOMY…

AND ALTHOUGH THERE DEFINITELY IS AN ALTRUISTIC ASPECT IN PASSING ON

AND SPREADING GIFTS, IT ALSO HAS EGOTISTIC AND SELFISH MOTIVES.

THE GIFTS I SHARE SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ME AND MY PERCEPTION OF THE

PERSON I AM PASSING THEM ON TO, AS MUCH AS THEY EXPRESS MY OWN

TASTE AND INTERESTS. THEY ARE A WAY FOR ME TO NOT ONLY CEMENT MY

BOND WITH OTHERS BUT DETERMINE WHETHER WE BELONG TO THE SAME

COMMUNITY..

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

HOW DO YOU DESIGN EXPERIENCES THAT SPREAD?

WELL FIRST YOU’VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE’S LIVES DON’TREVOLVE AROUND YOUR BRAND, THEY REVOLVE AROUND LIFE.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22091386@N03/4177218994/

IN A DIGITAL WORLD, PEOPLE SPEND THEIR TIME EXPLORING THE THINGS THEY ARE MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT

“PEOPLE READ

WHAT INTERESTS THEM

AND SOMETIMES IT'S YOUR AD.”

BILL BERNBACH

1TO EARN A PLACE ON THE CONSUMER’S RADAR AND IN THE CONSUMER’S LIFE, YOUR BRAND HAS TO START CARING ABOUT SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN ITS PRODUCT

2SPREADABLE MEDIA IS CREATED WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMMUNITIES OF THE PEOPLE TO BE COURTED. IT IS CREATED SO THAT MEMBERS OF THOSE COMMUNITIES CAN FIND THE CONTENT EASILY AND SHARE IT

BY HELGE TENNO

WHAT COMMUNITY WILL SPREAD THIS EXPERIENCE?

http://www.wereallfans.com/

fLITfk5http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwoM

THIS IMAGE, POSTED TO BUZZFEED, WAS THE 7TH "MOST VIRAL" POST OF THE

WEEK, AND 4TH "MOST SHARED”.

WHY DID THIS PARTICULAR IMAGE SPREAD SO MUCH FURTHER AND FASTER

THAN THE AVERAGE IMAGE POSTED TO THE WEB?

LUCK HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT, AS DID HUMOR, TIMELINESS AND AN

OPENNESS TO INFOGRAPHICS-BASED JOKES BUT MOST OF ALL IT HAD TO DO

WITH THE FACT IT APPEALED TO MANY DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS AND WAS

ABLE TO BRIDGE BARELY OVERLAPPING SOCIAL NETWORKS – THUS

ACHIEVING SOCIAL CURRENCY AND EXPONENTIAL REACH

3

qCfc4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rphhfy

BELIEVE IT OR NOT PEOPLE WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP THOSE

LESS FORTUNATE THAN THEM – EQUALITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ARE

STILL IDEAS THAT MOTIVATE

4

YlfWig8Ol3http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N

ENOUGH SAID ABOUT THIS– WE ALL HAVE COME TO ADMIRE THE SKILLS PUT

IN MOTION DURING THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN

MAKE SURE EVERY EXPERIENCE YOU CREATE IS DESIGNED TO SPREADTHROUGH A DIGITAL SOCIAL NETWORK

@NOUVE INTERPLAY

Linkage economy the matthew effect

@NOUVE INTERPLAY

BECAUSE THE WAY PEOPLE SPREAD AND SHARE INFORMATION

IS BY EXCHANGING LINKS@NOUVE INTERPLAY

@NOUVE INTERPLAY

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wild_images/1402152097/

CATER FOR THE REMIX CULTURE

…AND LIGHT LOTS OF FIRES …. HERD LIKE COPYING IS HOW THINGS SPREAD…

5

you.com/-http://thru

mYY-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx

REMIX IS USED TO MAKE MEANING SO IF YOU LET PEOPLE MESS WITH YOUR

CONTENT, IT GETS MORE SPREADABLE BECAUSE SUDDENLY CONSUMERS

HAVE A PERSONAL STAKE IN ITS PROPAGATION

WHAT DO PEOPLE REALLY SPREAD?

THIS IS THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: IF I WANTED TO MAKE A

“SPREADABLE” CAMPAIGN – WHAT SHOULD BE IN IT? WHAT ARE THE

LEADING THEMES?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11186622@N00/143311736/

6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs

BABIES & KIDS ALWAYS WORK – BABIES GIGGLING ARE ONE OF THE 10 MOST ADDICTIVE SOUNDS IN THE WORLD

8rKe0Bmhjf0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

ANIMALS ARE A SURE HIT: THERE ARE AN OBSCENE NUMBER OF LOLCATS OUT THERE – THIS ONE RANKS #6 ON THIS YEARS MOST VIRAL CHART

HUMOR– WE INTUITIVELY UNDERSTAND THAT SHARING FUNNY ANECDOTES IS AN EASY WAY TO STRENGTHEN BONDS

0JhLEiN94-4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

70WMyC9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxNl

EXTREME SKILL IS BOUND TO CAPTURE ATTENTION

SEX - ALTHOUGH SEX SELLS, SURPRISINGLY IT DOES NOT FEATURE ON THE VIRAL CHARTS TOP 20

94RDD4L27www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdhttp://

g0IDc5Vi69http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l

DESTRUCTION – WE’VE ALWAYS LIKED TAKING THINGS APART TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN

http://www.harrypottertweet.com/

SAMSUNG CAMERA TRICK:

o&feature=player_embedded8vc5iVo8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX

MAGIC– IT’S ALWAYS AN ENCHANTING EXPERIENCE THAT GETS YOU WONDERING AND LEAVES YOU FEELING…WELL BEWITCHED

I60W0JvK6http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei

UNIVERSAL CONCERNS – WILL ALWAYS FIND A CROWD TO MOVE, MOBILIZE AND RESONATE WITH

BUT THE TRUTH IS THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA TO CREATING

MEDIA THAT SPREADS, ONLY A FEW RULES OF THUMB

http://www.flickr.com/photos/limpopostudio/3186806743/

THE HUMAN BRAIN RESPONDS TO EMOTIONS GENERATED BY SPECIFIC CUES: PARODY, HUMOR, ABSURDITY, SHOCK, INTRIGUE AND SURPRISE ARE JUST SOME OF THEM

CONTENT SHOULD NOT BE PERFECT, AMBIGUITY IS GOOD AND PREFERABLY THERE SHOULD BE ROOM LEFT FOR DOUBT & SPECULATION: “IS THIS FOR REAL”?...”HOW DID THEY DO IT”

…BECAUSE IT LEADS TO CONVERSATIONS AND EARNED MEDIA

WHY IS SO IMPORTANT?

EVERY CLICK YOU MAKE ON THE INTERNET IS A VOTE FOR A BRAND.

BRANDS HAVE TO EARN THEIR PLACE ON THE INTERNET.

BY HELGE TENNO, BUD CADDELL & MIKE ARAUZ

pjDY8luw9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaFord Mondeo Desire:

BTGgE1u0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVq

0JRJsxvq-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W

AMBIGUITY AND SPECULATION LEAD TO ENGAGEMENT: WOM, CHATTER BUZZ AND SPREAD…A STRENGTHENED BOND WITH YOUR AUDIENCE (WHICH WAS KIND OF THE POINT FROM THE START)

http://oneframeoffame.com/

SO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE, GIVE THEM A ROLE TO PLAY

uwexYeKAg&feature=player_embedded1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F

MAKE THEM PART OF THE EXPERIENCE...ONLY THEN WILL THEY SPREAD YOUR EXPERIENCE.… AND PLEASE, STOP SAYING VIRAL!

CREDITS:

THIS IS THE PLACE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MANY BRILLIANT MINDS I HAVE RUTHLESSLY STOLEN FROM. THE PEOPLE WHOSE WRITINGS I HAVE BEEN READING RELIGIOUSLY OVER THE COUPLE OF MONTHS. FORWARD THINKERS IN THE PLANNING INDUSTRY WHOSE GENEROSITY IN SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS MAKES US ALL BETTER AT WHAT WE DO, PUSHING US TO THINK HARDER AND REVISIT SO MANY NOTIONS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED:

FARIS YAKOBBUD CADDELLMIKE ARAUZHELGE TENNOHENRY JENKINSANA DOMBNOUVE INTERPLAYPOLLEMAAGT

I TRULY HOPE I HAVE NOT OFFENDED YOU,(THIS WAS PREPARED AS A WORKSHOP)BUT IF I DID, PLEASE DROP ME A LINE ON TWITTER @HASSONTWINS