Another Reason Why Viral is the Way To Go

When TiVo came on the scene not too long ago, it started the slow death of the 30 second ad spot. It was the catalyst that served to convince even the most conservative marketers that it was time to start thinking about Web advertising.

TV advertising went on for over 50 years without threat, but unfortunately, Web marketers have not been as lucky. Within the last year, an extension for Mozilla Firefox has become popular, and some advertisers are worried about it - and they should be. Pop-ups aren't going to be the only thing blocked by knowledgeable Web-surfers.

The add-on application is called Adblock Plus. The program integrates with a user's browser (only Firefox at this point) and identifies, then blocks, advertising messages. The program is able to identify banners and advertisements by size and location and through a maintained database. The application is completely open-source and also not for profit, so ad companies can't easily buy it up and shut it down. And even if they did, another iteration would surely and swiftly rise from the dust.


Although it poses quite a threat for that portion of internet advertising, it has only been adopted by a small portion of the public. The New York Times quoted the creator of Adblock Plus, citing that approximately 2.5 million downloads have taken place so far, and 300,000 to 400,000 downloads occur each month. If growth continues at that rate, it will surely be something for marketers to worry about.

What does any of this have to do with Viral marketing? Well, Adblock Plus isn't blocking YouTube videos. It's not MySpace profiles or emails. And when interesting content is passed on from a friend or co-worker, the recipient will often go out of their way to experience it.

To sum it up: banners out, viral in.

Go Viral By Solving a Problem

As any [honest] marketer will tell you, there is no guarantee that a campaign, message or product will go viral. However, there are certain steps that can be taken to help it on its way.

What will be discussed today is something that may need to be addressed in the development stage of the product. Or rather, if the item to be promoted already exists, introspection may be necessary to see if this could be appropriate.

And what is this killer way to move something virally? Solve a problem.

How is that going to work? If something solves a problem for one person, they're likely to recommend it to another, and so forth. Additionally, there are other avenues for this to travel.

Let's look at a prime example here: Firefox. Do you know what Firefox is? How did you learn about it? If you use it, why?



It is very possible that you started because you had a need or had to resolve a problem. While helping others with their computer problems, I have not only recommended the product, but also installed and/or walked people through installation countless times. I've even given instruction.

Why? I like to think because I'm a nice person who likes to help. Although everyone is not that way, a large number of the population is, and they will help you go viral.

Another example of something that could work in this category which is more promotion-based would be a widget. Widgets can be installed to the computer and can resolve a number of issues. Just make sure that they resolve your goal as well.