Abrams Research Blog

The Real Thug Life

It’s official: Twitter is the reincarnation of 7^th grade.

When I was in middle school, I desperately longed to be one of the cool kids. You know, the ones who sat in the back of the room, “working” on their group project, but actually listening to the Bloodhound Gang’s take on human biology through headphones hidden in their sleeves and a CD player hidden in their desk. Instead, I used that 45-minute period to actually work, fearing a bad grade or some other repercussion. And in the end, we all got As and I threw my book through a window.

As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one. But somewhere around 11^th grade, I hit a happy medium. Leaving both groups behind, I wondered what would eventually become of them. Fast forward to a decade later: they’ve been found. Their place of residence? Twitter. read more »

Lance Armstrong’s cancer awareness campaign Livestrong, meet Stillerstrong, the competition that has been making a lot of head-way recently. Funny man Ben Stiller’s attempt to mimic the widely successful Livestrong has been getting lots of attention and attracting eyes all over the web. While Stillerstrong might play to Stiller’s funny-man persona, the campaign is a serious effort to help build a school in Haiti. The campaign itself is a good case study in viral marketing.

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Elf Yourself is back.  The now-classic viral site sponsored by OfficeMax has returned for its fourth holiday season, and it’s gotten me thinking about user-generated content.

The quick-and-dirty platform for turning yourself into a ridiculous dancing elf is allegedly the “most popular viral experience in web history,” and I’m fairly confident that claim isn’t too far off base.  OfficeMax reported over 41 million elves created after their first year of “elving.”  This year, to promote more sharing, participants can now share their creations with friends via Twitter and Facebook.  Oh joy!

Ostensibly, dancing elves have little relation to office supplies, but does that matter?  OfficeMax has clearly hit upon a successful formula for attracting a massive audience and getting them to create content.  Most marketers would drool at the chance to engage with tens of millions of people and (bonus!) entertain them.  And OfficeMax claims that 40% of people that elved themselves associated the experience with the company.  More than 30% said it would make them more likely to shop there.  Compare that to a traditional banner ad campaign, and you can see easily spot the better ROI.

Of course, developing a great UGC-based campaign is easier said than done.  There is no magic formula, but there are a few important elements to consider:

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Marketing a product or brand can be a very delicate procedure. It’s a procedure that can either help to make or break a business in the long-run. One way to make sure your message gets out there is to try to go viral. Not in the infectious sense, of course.

Viral marketing strategies online are becoming a necessary part of the larger picture. While few will achieve the success of the Chocolate Rain guy, there are strategies that will increase your chances of generating buzz and reaching a large audience.  Here are some tips to help you join the ranks of the viral marketing elite.

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