i like viral

Influx Insights — 2007-07-17T00:52:35Z

The recent web sensation Jonathan, better known as “Zombie Boy”, has achieved hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube and national acclaim.

What did he do? He simply answered “I like turtles” to a reporter who asked him what he thought of his zombie face paint at the Rose Festival in Portland.

Why is it brilliant? It's a great example of something that was truly spread virally and still became a cultural phenomenon – just look at the remixes and the merchandise for sale (currently on hold until official permission is given from Jonathan’s mom).

And since it's had such a huge impact, it’s gotten us thinking about our business and viral marketing. Because let's face it, while there are success stories (think Honda’s Cog video and the Blair Witch Project) it’s easier to count the failures.

Burger King’s Subservient Chicken, though popular within our industry, was mostly spread by the media. And no one believed (and for good reason) that something like Ford’s Sportka viral video was actually produced independently.

Worse, there are thousands of others that couldn’t even infamously fail. They just never got any attention at all.

So how did the short news clip of a 10 year-old from Oregon become “famouser” (in his words) “than a lot of other people”, literally on accident, without spending a single media dollar?

Maybe because it's not a marketing message. It's real and impossible to fake. And most marketing is the opposite: planned, over scripted and usually focus-grouped to death.

Jonathan was funny, simple and honest. And marketing, if it’s good, can be too.

Posted by katie facada

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i like viral