The term viral marketing was coined in the mid 1990s by Harvard Professor Jeffrey Rayport. The concept behind viral marketing involves an advertiser sending the consumer a message. Instead of the advertiser using a traditional channel, such as a television or internet advertisement, the message will be more closely catered to the consumer; for example an interactive display on the street. From here, the consumer will approach the display, wanting to learn more. Once they have been satisfied, they will then relay the information to their friends and family, thus virally spreading the message (An illustration is posted below). These types of viral marketing have become hugely popular in the past decade.

Taking a step back, it is interesting to look at the evolution of advertising. The first true advertisements were in the late 19^th century. Shop owners began to put small pieces of paper and cardboard up in their shop windows. From here, newspapers began adding small sponsorship messages in between news articles. In the 20^th century, advertising exploded. The west saw the rise of consumer culture. Radio and television programming both used advertising sponsors. These shows would cut away from the normal programming a number of times during the broadcast to “bring you a message from their sponsor.” This would help to fund the programming while keeping one product fresh in the audience’s mind. The benefit of this style, is that viewers/listeners would only be receiving one advertising message, as opposed to the dozens we encounter today [during one show]. Obviously, between the 1950’s and today, there has been a significant increase in the sheer amount of advertising. Being exposed to thousands of messages ensures most individual messages will be quickly forgotten.

This leads to the current situation. Advertisers are constantly looking for new ways to appeal to consumers. With hundreds of billions of dollars available in the consumer spending market, everyone wants a share of the pie. Because of the oversaturation of media in the western world, new techniques had to emerge to target consumers. In the past, advertisers have used what is called “push” marketing to sell products. Push marketing is characterized by a business or advertiser “pushing” their product to the consumer, who may not already be aware of it. Push marketing is like casting a wide net; you send out the message to millions of people, so you can gain the attention of a few. Modern television commercials definitely fall into this category.

On the other hand, we have “pull marketing,” which includes viral marketing. Pull marketing is the exact opposite of push marketing, and involves consumers going out of their way to learn about a new product. Instead of advertisers forcing the information down consumers’ throats, the information is available to those who are interested. With pull marketing, the concept is that the interested consumers will not only “pull” themselves toward the information, but then also spread the information to their acquaintances.

Ultimately, push marketing is easier from a creative standpoint. Advertisers stick with traditional means of promoting their product. While the concepts of the advertisements will vary, the medium remains constant. Alternately, pull marketing allows to advertisers to think outside the box in their attempts to attract customers. Generally, pull marketing uses more specific messages in order to target consumers more closely, whereas push marketing has a very general message for the broader audience.

In addition to understanding the concepts behind viral marketing, it is also important to see viral marketing in practice. First and perhaps most obviously, was the Aqua Teen Hunger Force incident which occurred in Boston in 2007. The incident, in which led displays depicting the Mooninites (characters on the television show) were placed around 10 major cities, could also be classified as guerrilla marketing. In Boston, these led’s were confused as bombs, causing a short panic in the city. Ultimately, the event received widespread media coverage, and despite its negative portrayal, it still effectively promoted the movie. A photo of one of the led displays in question is below:

Another recent example of viral marketing is from the promotional campaign for the movie Cloverfield. The movie was first announced in a standard movie trailer, however, the trailer did not state the movie’s title, only the release date. This caused a huge stir among viewers, and led to a great deal of speculation as to the film’s plot. As the release drew closer, the viral marketing campaign grew more comprehensive. The advertising agency for the film created MySpace pages for the film’s characters, giving those interested an idea of the back story. In a clever example of viral marketing, before the film’s release, television spots disguised as breaking news broadcasts swept the airwaves. In these spots, Japanese broadcasters informed the audience that a sea monster (presumably the same monster as in the movie) had attacked Japan and was heading towards other parts of the world, including the United States. These ads listed a website and encouraged viewers to log on. Nowhere was the movie Cloverfield even mentioned, making it true pull marketing. A shot from one of the viral Cloverfield is below:

One final example of viral marketing lies within the promotion of Nine Inch Nails 2007 album Year Zero. The album, which is a concept album, had a number of stages of advertising. Before it was released, songs from the album were put on usb drives, and left in the bathrooms of venues during Nine Inch Nails concerts. These drives were then found by fans, uploaded to the internet, and shared with the NIN community. From there, various websites were created relating to the albums content. These interlinked websites revealed information about the album and its concept. Again, the fan community joined together to investigate the sites and piece together the story. Finally, an interactive game was created around Year Zero’s concept to attract new fans to the community. When the album was released, the packaging and inserts led to even more tie-in websites and puzzles for the fans to solve, thus retaining the fan community’s attention. A picture of one of the inserts is posted below:

Up until this point, I have mentioned viral marketing success stories; however, there are also downsides to viral marketing campaigns. First, the campaigns have the potential to be very expensive and time consuming. While no companies have released any costs associated with viral marketing, certain campaigns obviously cost millions of dollars. For The Dark Knight, it is likely that viral marketing costs will actually exceed traditional advertising costs. For nearly a year, The Dark Knight been running a multi-faceted viral campaign. Interestingly, as of April, 2008 they have not yet begun to advertise the movie through “traditional” advertising channels, such as billboards or television spots.

Another potential downside of viral marketing is the fact that it can require effort on the consumers part. While fans of a certain product will likely have no problem going out of their way to participate in a viral campaign, casual fans may not want to put forth the effort for a product in which they only have moderate interest. Coincidentally, non-hardcore fans are one of the most important demographics to reach. The hardcore fans will likely support a product, regardless. But, anyone on the fence will need the right encouragement. Viral marketing is ideal for getting people involved with a product, however, the consumer still needs to put forth effort for the campaign to succeed.

Viral marketing also heavily relies on consumers themselves spreading information about the campaign, usually through the more mainstream media. For example, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle generated huge amounts of press for the movie/television show. Granted, much of the press was negative, but the coverage certainly reached a wider audience than the stunts themselves would have. On the flip side, it is important to ask what the fate of the campaign would have been had the stunts not caused so much controversy. If Boston police/the FBI had realized that the “mysterious lights” were simply an advertising ploy, the campaign would have been far less successful. As it was, the entire nation heard about the stunt, and in turn the movie. The event was able to bring a great deal of press attention towards Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and ultimately made for a successful viral marketing campaign.

Overall, viral marketing has proven to be a highly effective form of advertising. The key to viral marketing is audience participation, which incidentally correlates with Henry Jenkins’ thoughts. Allowing audience interaction will only help to build a brand or product’s reputation, much like that of a television show. Viral marketing can even create fan communities that did not exist before. It will prove interesting to see if viral marketing is truly the future of advertising, or simply a gimmick.

Over the span of my college career, the world has seen the rise of YouTube.com, a site where users can upload video content. While the site was initially created for people to upload their own videos, it has evolved far past that. As of March, 2008 the site contained over 77 million videos, many of those being music videos or commercials, which were professionally produced.

Because the site offers so many videos, it is not surprising that it costs approximately $1 million per day to run YouTube. This brings us to the problem of profit for the company. Back in late 2006 YouTube was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion (Interestingly, YouTube had only been online for a year and a half when it was purchased). Obviously, Google saw this as an investment, as YouTube was actually losing money at the time. The move also solidified Google’s share of the internet video market. Currently, YouTube uses Google ad words and overlay advertisements to generate advertising revenue. This has been a particularly tricky topic, as people are accustomed to watching videos on the site without commercial interruption. However, YouTube’s strategy is to use overlays, similar to those on television which pop up in the corner of a program, to generate advertising revenue.

There are a number of reasons that YouTube has become so popular. Personally, I think the first and foremost reason is the fact that registered users can upload an unlimited amount of videos. Instead of other sites which limit the amount of content a person can upload, YouTube encourages anything and everything to be put on their site. Secondly, I would credit their popularity to their stance against censorship. While they do not allow nudity, nearly everything else is fair game. Finally, YouTube has become a common, and well recognized word. People now associate all video content online with YouTube, and for the most part it’s true. If you can’t find something on YouTube, chances are you won’t find it at all.

Because of its popularity, YouTube has been in the center of a fair amount of controversy. For example, thousands of copyrighted videos have been uploaded to the site. Copyright holders are constantly threatening lawsuits against the site. Some people have gone as far as uploading movies, in 10 minute blocks, to the site. However, this has proven largely ineffective, as YouTube is quick to remove infringing content. On the other hand, however, some companies don’t mind their work being posted on YouTube as it will spread to a larger audience through the site.

Finally, certain countries have banned YouTube entirely. The most notable being Thailand, Pakistan, and Iran (Thailand has subsequently lifted its ban). For Pakistan and Iran, it is not entirely surprising. Because YouTube’s content is not checked before it is uploaded, it is possible to put nearly anything on the site, at least for a short time. Iran’s problems with the site are based in certain videos depictions of Muhammad.

Ultimately, YouTube is the largest online video site in the world. While it has an impressive amount of content, you never know when the “new YouTube” will pop-up. There are always people setting out to create new and improved versions of websites. And while most of them do not catch on like the original site, every so often we see a “change of regime.”

I did attend the Harvey Dent “campaign rally.” It turned out to be a lot of fun. It was very much like an actual campaign rally. Signs and other paraphernalia were distributed to the 20-25 people who showed up. We paraded up and down the Boston common, yelling catch phrases like “Who do we believe in?” “Harvey Dent!” and “Take Back Gotham!” Overall, it turned out to be a lot of fun, and far more exciting than any “real” campaign rally. The best part was probably seeing the reactions of people who had no idea what was going on. Nowhere did any of our rally gear mention the Dark Knight movie, or even Batman. The only hints were the websites on the signs, and also letting people know the election is being held July 19th, the day the Dark Knight opens in theaters.

Below is a picture of the gear I got for showing up:

Also, if you check out this site, and put your mouse over Boston, you can see pictures of the rally. I’m in the third picture of the series.

While they are a truly unique advertising form, viral campaigns often rely on the internet to gain attention. In some cases, such as Cadbury’s 2007 Gorilla advertisement, the campaign is strictly online. In others, the viral campaign occurs at physical locations, then the content is uploaded to the internet. In the case of the recent Nine Inch Nails album Year Zero, band leader Trent Reznor left flash drives with songs and cryptic messages in restrooms at his concerts. His fans would find these flash drives, upload the songs to the internet, and share the messages with the community. But, it didn’t end there. Reznor had setup websites which corresponded with the messages left on the flash drive, leading fans to clips from the album and insight into Year Zero’s story. An “alternate reality” game, which also corresponded with the album’s story was developed as well. While the campaign started with only one or two people, by the end it had attracted thousands through fan communities and media coverage. Perhaps the best aspect is that the campaign cost next to nothing and received widespread attention.

One other notable viral campaign is for the upcoming movie The Dark Knight. This campaign, which began in May 2007, is perhaps the most extensive viral campaign in history. It began with a simple website, I Believe in Harvey Dent, a character from the movie. Next, a vandalized version of the set was set up, presumably from the Joker’s perspective (highlight the text after the words “page not found”). From here, fans were able to uncover the Joker’s face for the first time. Similar websites sprung up in the following months, all with touches of the Joker character. One website left viewers the message “see you in November,” a hint at when the films first teaser trailer would be debuting in theaters. Many of these websites encouraged users to submit their own content, allowing them to play a role in the campaign. Recently, the I Believe in Harvey Dent website has been transformed into a site to promote Harvey Dent’s campaign for political office in Gotham city. Fans can submit their phone numbers and e-mail addresses to receive updates on the campaign. More so, there are even Harvey Dent campaign vans which are traveling through the country holding mock rallies for the character. I’ll be attending one of these today, and will try to update with pictures/information. The most interesting aspect of this campaign is the amount of detail used. Having created dozens of websites and other interactive events, the advertisers are effectively keeping this film in the spotlight, despite the fact that it does not come to theaters until July, 2008.

Most of the advertising we see today comes in the form of “top down,” or messages that come directly from the advertiser to the consumer. This is also known as push advertising. We all know the facts about how many ads an American sees in one day/month/year, which is why advertisers are moving in a different direction to get consumers attention. In today’s world of media saturation, viral marketing is a fresh and unique alternative. Instead of pushing consumers to buy a product, viral marketing allows advertisers to “pull” consumers into viewing their websites, and allow them to gain interest in their products in the process. Personally, I’m intrigued by viral marketing. There are products that I would have no interest in normally that I find myself attracted to, simply because of the unique advertising (The Nine Inch Nails Year Zero campaign, for instance). Having worked in the advertising industry, I found it interesting how these campaigns are not only thought-up and executed, but how successful they become.

Digital cable, originally developed by Motorola, was a great step in the progression of television. No longer was television only a one-way process. With the ability to order pay-per-views at any time of day and watch shows “On Demand,” viewers were given total control of programming. While pay-per-view was available before digital cable, viewers were required to call their cable providers to order programming. With digital cable, only a remote control is needed.

Not only did digital cable introduce programming On Demand, but it was instrumental in beginning the high-definition movement on television. Before digital cable, every channel was broadcast in the same quality. Regardless of whether you had a 20 year old television, or a brand new, top of the line model, the television signal was exactly the same. Now, most local channels as well as selected national channels are available in both analog and HD varieties.

Digital cable was also responsible for the useful on-screen guide. For years television viewers were stuck with the miserably slow scrolling TV Guide channel. Now, not only can viewers scroll through the current programming, but all of the shows airing in the next week.

Another change that came about because of digital cable was the significant increase in the number of channels available. While 70 or so channels were nothing to scoff at, viewers now have the option to purchase channel packs leaving them with a total of 200-300 channels at any time. Combine this with the added On Demand options, and this becomes a television junkies dream.

DVR, or digital video recording, is a more recent addition to many cable packages. With digital video recording, or similar services such as TiVO, viewers can set their cable boxes to record their favorite shows. Not only will the cable box record the programming onto its hard-drive, but it can also recommend programming to you, based on what you’ve recorded. This is just one more example of machines becoming intelligent…Judgment Day must not be far off.

One interesting development in the near future of television is the US government’s mandated transition to high definition. Back in 2005, under the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act, our friends at the FCC stated that by February, 2009 all channels must be broadcast in High Definition. Personally, I think this is a great idea. Aside from regulation, censorship and CSPAN, the government has been largely absent from television lately. It is important for them to push media forward towards new capabilities. Granted, I cannot think of a single educational use for all high-definition television, but it is still a welcome upgrade.

In case you aren’t familiar with the silly animal picture trend, I’ll give you a quick background. Starting in 2003, internet message board users began to add ridiculous captions to photos of owls. These captions were generally quotes attributed to the owls, spoken in broken English for added effect. Here’s the picture that is often credited with beginning the entire movement:

From there, the Owl trend exploded. First, it swept internet message boards. Then, it transitioned from the internet to the “real world.” I remember standing at a bus stop which had an advertisement prominently featuring an owl. Next to the owls face was a hand written caption saying “O Rly?” (Incidentally, this incident can be considered an example of media convergence). The graffiti looked something like this:

At this point, I realized O Rly? was truly a phenomenon. Soon after, I created my own O Rly? picture:

A year or so after the initial trend started, it began to fade. The novelty seemed to be wearing off, and the owl pictures became less and less clever. The trend was dying.

But in 2005, LOL Cats began to spread from the same message boards that spawned O RLY? Owls. The now popular website I Can Has Cheezburger? was founded to document and organize LOL Cat pictures that were springing up on message boards across the internet. The site took its name from a particularly popular cat picture (shown below), which helped to establish the trend.

I Can Has Cheezburger? is set up in a traditional blog format. The banner at the top of the page depicts animated cats interacting with “Cheezburgers.” Viewers can immediately jump into the websites content by clicking “Make Me Laff” on the right column. This link displays a random cat picture from the sites database, which viewers can rate. If a viewer stumbles upon the website and has no idea what the page is about, they can click the “About Us” page and read over the sites history. Overall, I would assume that well over 75% of the sites visitors are already aware of the sites content and are simply browsing the website for a quick laugh or two.

Visually, the page is simple. The black text clearly stands out from the white background. There are a number of links directly beneath the banner, as well as on the right column. These links are clearly marked as internal links, and placed in convenient locations above the fold. Because I disable all advertisements, I was unaware that this site even contained paid ads. However, when I disabled my ad-blocker, I found that there were no less than 6 advertisements per page, including both image-based and text ads, which proved visually unappealing. I even experienced a number of ads that stretched the column they appeared in, further distorting the site’s design.

Overall, this site proves very functional. Despite the plethora of advertisements, all of the actual content is very clearly marked. A comprehensive background is available for anyone to read, while a LOL CAT Builder offers visitors an interactive aspect to the site. Additionally, it is worth noting that visitors can also submit their own created pictures to be uploaded on the site. This interactivity, as well as the enormous amount of pictures, is sure to keep visitor coming back. And until next time…

Initially, I was skeptical of the Wii. I absolutely loathed the name. And why would Nintendo go against the grain? They said the Wii was meant to appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike, but I couldn’t believe that the elderly would suddenly start playing video games. Once it was release, though, my opinion quickly changed. I suddenly realized how restrictive previous gaming consoles have been. It’s amazing that in 25+ years of video games, all of the action has been controlled only by hands.

While Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 strive to be all inclusive multimedia devices, Wii sticks to its roots as a gaming machine. The Wii does not have DVD playback, much less HD capabilities. It does, however, have internet access, as well as a number of informational news channels. Nintendo also allows you to send messages to your friends via a Wii letter system. While the letters are essentially the same as e-mail, it is a nice touch and can occasionally prove useful.

One clearly negative aspect of the Wii is the intense security. The Wii is advertised as a family oriented gaming machine, and thus tries to keep the content controlled. This becomes detrimental when trying to play online. Most online games require players to enter “friend codes” in order to begin a game with a friend. While in theory this sounds practical, it fails in execution. Friend codes are 16 number codes that are impossible to remember. Instead, Nintendo should simply have allowed players to create unique user names. However, in their attempt to protect users’ identities, they have alienated a large group of gamers.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, are the games themselves. Nintendo has always been a highly regarded game developer. However, in recent years their consoles have received criticism for lacking AAA (high quality) game. Critics say that while Nintendo makes AAA games for their systems, few others do. Also, because the Wii is so vastly different from its competition games cannot simply be “ported” from one console to another. If a game appears on all three consoles, one version will have to be developed specifically for the Wii. Many times, developers will not put a great deal of effort into making games for the Wii. Other times, developers do not believe the Wii is worth the effort and

I have personally begun to take notice of this criticism. When I bought my Wii in October of 2007, I was thrilled. There were a handful of games I wanted to buy, and a number scheduled to be released soon after. But many of these games were delayed. As of today, I have 4 games for the Wii, with 2 of them being Nintendo produced. Every time I am at an electronics store I look at the Wii games for sale, but leave empty handed. I am personally not interested in most games that are not developed by Nintendo. Because of this, there tend to be long draughts between AAA games on Wii. Despite my disappointment, others seem to be thrilled with the Wii. According the IGN, in December 2007 there were 8 Wii games sold for every console that was purchased. While the numbers may be inflated because of the holiday season, the figures are still very strong.

Overall, the Wii succeeds as a gaming machine. Despite its flaws, it still contains the most important element for a game console: innovative fun.

(assignment b)

stay tuned.