Once you've had a viral hit, how do you ensure an encore? Here are some follow-up efforts worthy of note.
Developing a successful marketing campaign is not enough anymore. Not only is there the ongoing corporate need to develop and grow a client base, once procured you must keep customers continually engaged and coming back for more.
This is especially true when a brand scores a viral hit. Whether by chance or design, campaigns that span the globe with friends telling friends about them raise the bar for the brands and agencies that produced them.
So how can a brand capitalize on its viral success?
Here are some examples of brands that have attempted to keep the buzz, using different tactics.
Dove pushes real beauty
A few years ago, Dove Soap launched a new advertising campaign touting the principle that everyone, without regard to age, shape, height or nationality, is beautiful. Real women replaced the customary statuesque supermodels as Dove forged its new society benchmark of beauty.
"Campaign for Real Beauty" initially launched with an ad during the 2006 Super Bowl featuring preteen and teenage girls with commentary stating what they don't like about themselves. The call to action was to check out the Campaign for Real Beauty website.
The website, full of information and resources for improving one's self-esteem, became a viral hit.
So what has Dove done since then to keep the momentum? It launched a non-profit foundation, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. At this site, young women, their moms and mentors are invited to play a role in supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty.
The truly dynamic element of this is that Dove has taken a concept and built upon it. Granted, not every company is going to start a foundation, nor should they, but Dove created a new element, which has continued to keep the audience engaged.
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