Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

The Emmys are on, and despite the prospect of sinking ratings due to the event being held on a Monday, brands are out in full force.

We run down the best and the worst real-time marketing, recognizing both off-the-cuff remarks as well as those, like Mercedes-Benz’s, that were days and maybe even months in the making....

In defining viral marketing, many creative descriptions have been put forward.

At its core, viral marketing is simply the “spread of an idea” that helps market your business or cause. It’s putting material out there that by its very nature attracts attention and discussion.

Perhaps the most objective way to look at the practice of viral marketing is to examine the research of some highly intelligent folks who have dedicated years to deciphering the common elements of viral content.

Below, I’ll dissect some of my favorite research from an associate professor at the Wharton School of Business, as well as examine some classic viral marketing examples to see what lessons can be had from campaigns that managed to spread far and wide....

...We don't need to go back hundreds of years to see examples of content marketing when the term itself didn't exist however. We - and many other agencies and in-house teams - have created videos, games, related images and other marketing material for clients since launching 7 years ago, way before somebody in skinny jeans and unnecessary spectacles felt the need to put a collective name on it other than 'PR' or 'marketing'.

Big fat greasy chip on my shoulder about the name firmly established - it's taken three paragraphs to get it all out - I wanted to explore just why even the best 'content' still needs to be 'marketed'.

Let's take this 'Our Blades Are F***ing Great' video by Dollar Shave Club, for instance....

There are dozens of techniques that can increase search traffic on a website, but only a few methods result in content reaching unseen levels of popularity. Sure, a merely informative or interesting piece can get a couple hundred social engagements, but viral isn’t just informative: It’s an emotional experience.

At Fractl, we’ve established some factors that can help a campaign idea morph into an online phenomenon, but knowing how to create great content is the foundation of any viral campaign. By educating yourself in a few theories of psychology, you can make the most of nuances that most content marketers don't know....

As you plan your campaigns, think of social media services and sites in terms of the behavior they\'re likely to provoke, and match your content accordingly....

According to a study of 18-45-year-olds conducted by The Associated Press, the average human attention span in 2012 was eight seconds. The average attention span of a goldfish is nine.As sensational as this may sound, it shouldn't really come as a surprise. One need only spend a few minutes online to see this phenomenon first-hand.

Consumers crave short-form content - it's one of the reasons that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have done so well. We tweet within our 140-character limit, we post pithy comments to our walls, and if we're adding text commentary to Pinterest and Tumblr posts at all, it's typically very brief.

It may be Millennials and digital natives who are saddled with a reputation for seeking instant gratification, yet it seems that all of us are increasingly drawn to visuals and short videos that can be consumed in seconds flat. Social video marketing company Unruly reports that Twitter users are now sharing nine Vine videos per second, a figure that has nearly doubled since April. With a six-second limit on length, branded Vines are four times more likely to be shared than traditional video ads...

Have you seen what’s been dubbed “the greatest car commercial ever?” If you haven’t, don’t bother looking for it on TV. It’s online . . . and it’s racking up millions of viewers. Audi’s latest spot pits the “Old Spock” (Leonard Nimoy) vs. the “New Spock” (Zachary Quinto) in a promotion for the new Audi S7. (Watch the video below.)

It’s engaging. It’s persuasive. It’s relevant. And it’s a great example of the impact and reach of video marketing. Marketers recognize videos like these play an increasingly important role in the marketing mix, yet many of us have questions about producing effective video campaigns –regardless of whether we have Audi-sized budgets or not.

How can you squeeze every ounce of value from your investment, and use video not only to inform and entertain, but also to capture leads and drive revenue?...