I used to think anyone who said he knew how to create a successful viral ad was equal parts alchemist, astrologist and bullshit artist. It seemed to me it was a little like trying to figure out how to win the lottery.
Leave it to some clever researchers at Harvard Business School, however, to analyze why people like viral ads and what marketers can do to increase the chances of creating one. Their research pointed them to five key techniques:
- Use brand pulsing -- unobtrusively weaving brand images throughout the ad instead of hitting viewers over the head with big, ever-present logos.
- Create joy or surprise immediately -- if you're expecting viewers to wait for a climax near the end of the spot, they won't and you've lost them.
- Build an emotional roller-coaster -- viewers are more likely to stick with a spot when they experience emotional ups and downs.
- Surprise but don't shock -- Shock might get them to watch the ad but it might make it too embarrassing for them to share and help make it go viral.
- Target the right viewers -- As social media evolves, targeting the right kind of viewer -- extroverts and egocentrics -- will become easier.
Read more about their research here.
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