Wednesday, October 13, 2004

So, What Is Viral Marketing?



The new Viral + Buzz Marketing Association has put out a manifesto outlining what I think is a pretty good (albeit somewhat arrogant) definition of viral marketing and general tactics and strategies viral marketers should utilize. Here's a snippet:

We believe that network-enhanced word of mouth has a critical role to play in the future of integrated marketing communications. Marketers need to offer content in the media and through one-to-one connections that the recipients themselves choose to propagate to those that they deem appropriate, thereby eliminating irrelevant, untimely and (as a consequence) annoying marketing messages.


I've said it before that I think viral marketing is about to experience some controversy of its own, and it seems that organizations like the VBMA understand this. This industry needs some rules and standards to help mitigate the inevitable controversy that will hit us soon.

Check out the manifesto here.

-aB

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