Comments on: Your Wandering, Viral Eye Is Making You Fat

By: Casie G

Casie G — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:46:37 +0000

I completely agree with the overall message here…and like with everything, there is definitely a balance between viral & useful. Here at Grasshopper we’ve had two very successful viral videos mixed in with the “useful” consistent content. Each video certainly brought us new customers but more importantly, they helped us keep our current customers.

In a market where the differentiation from one competitor to the next is so small, being the company that puts out great videos & the company that people know (because of those videos), is definitely important. While you can’t rely on viral content to make your company…it can help for sure.

By: Olivier Amar

Olivier Amar — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:16:21 +0000

So aiming for the first page of Digg as a strategy is a no-no? Oh wait, Digg’s dead :-)

By: Rishi Sahgal

Rishi Sahgal — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:56:45 +0000

Hi Lisa,

Very insightful. There I think the focus on generating new customers and neglecting existing customers is something that is long running. Telco’s and cable companies come to mind…and it’s certainly driving the fascination with viral. At the same time, I think that a well devised viral campaign can also help strengthen existing customers repurchase intentions, particularly in FMCG and other low ticket sectors.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:19:36 +0000

I’m with you on this Lisa. Most ‘viral’ video campaigns have a total lack of strategy, which is what drives me crazy. Yes, a million people watched the video but without a goal and plan for what happens before and after it, those videos don’t accomplish much in the grand scheme of the marketing plan.
Great post!

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:27:26 +0000

This is a really great message, but what if you’re a fantastic company who is useful, and decides to attempt a viral campaign just to bring more people in. So it’s a very infrequent deal, and you still focus most of your energy on your customers? I think it could work then.

By: Kim M.

Kim M. — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:52:50 +0000

I think a better analogy is that virals are the handsome soulless devils of the internet … good for a one night stand but will sorely disappoint you if you look for anything more. The experience can’t be repeated so it’s better to just not to stick around … or you end up wondering what the hell even attracted you in the first place. Eventually you’re all washed up and alone. No good business wants to be that guy.