Mass Effect

the mass effect

// July 27th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // media

A marketing video from our early days

a new medium

// July 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // media

A snippet from the online series titled ‘Cubicles’ which provides an example of the film work we have assisted in producing. Online videos are quickly emerging as a new medium for entertainment, not only in viral marketing campaigns and music videos and movie trailers, but for daily or weekly series. With so much time spent in front of a computer by millions the world over, all forms of entertainment are becoming a part of the online plane.

introduction to Viral Marketing

// April 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // media

Buzz, Viral Marketing, and Word-of-Mouth: what’s the difference?

Word-of-Mouth Marketing consists of a number of different forms of communication: buzz marketing, viral marketing, influencer marketing, street marketing, user generated content and so on. These new approaches can quite often be confused due to their complementary attributes, but in the end are quite different from each other.

Prior to the explanation it must be noted that the efficiency of these new techniques remains for the most part undisputed. Consum-actors are now not only marketing targets, but also potential information relay hubs for your communication actions.

First there is Word-of-Mouth. This form of communication between two people (about brands, products and services, among other things) is obviously not new. What has changed however, is the power, the range and the speed at which word-of-mouth grows in our new online media landscape. This activity mainly takes place via social media, blogs and video platforms… Any available information on the internet, whether it be in the form of image, text or video can be instantaneously reacted upon and propagated around the world in a matter of seconds. Formerly, word-of-mouth was restricted to a certain number of family members, neighbors and colleagues (within a specific social setting). Today, any internet user can profit from certain incredibly powerful communications tools that did not exist in the past.

In recent years, more and more brands have become aware of the power of this phenomenon. The first experiments with word-of-mouth marketing conducted by Hotmail, Budweiser and/or the Blair Witch Project, have now evolved into constructive advertisements. These experiments have lead to a greater awareness; in web 2.0, Youtube users have become a media in themselves! A brief explanation of these marketing approaches can be seen below.

Viral Marketing is one of them. Viral communication is about facilitating the transmission of a message from one person to another. The name “Viral Marketing” very basically comes from the concept. The idea is that it works like a cold, “infecting” one person who in turn spreads the infection to another; thus creating an exponential dynamic.

In order for it to achieve its goals, and not interrupt people like traditional advertising does (where the audience is forcibly exposed to an advertising message), you offer internet users content that is so original, amusing, surprising, inspiring and interesting that they not only enjoy it but want to pass it on to others. A module that is too overtly commercial or conventional will most likely not catch.

Humor, sex and provocation are often ingredients of success, and viral marketing can incorporate all of them (depending on the target, the message and the objective). In B2B for example the publication of a downloadable white paper is a very good example of viral marketing. The personalization of a message (by adding one’s name or photo to a game or video), the incentive (a symbolic or real reward that can be gained in a game for example) and intuitive uses are key elements of success within this type of campaign.