Program Highlights
- The nuts and bolts of using social media for viral marketing.
- What causes one campaign to become infectious while another fails.
- When "reversing the rules" can work to your advantage."
An emerging trend in brand development is a shift from an advocacy marketing model (why one should buy a brand) to an ambassador model (how you can participate in the brand). In this participatory environment, social media offers a platform that not only rapidly transmits brand messaging to an audience but also lets the audience engage and interact—steps that are key to viral marketing. From her research on consumer psychology, marketing strategy, and even the psychology of happiness, Dr. Aaker identifies the four critical components of an infectious campaign.
First, focus on one clear goal that is actionable and measurable. Your goal should be compelling and have the potential to unleash feelings of happiness, which are contagious. Second, grab attention to your campaign by doing the unexpected, triggering a visceral response, or providing a visual hook, such as the cancer awareness ribbons. Third, tell an engaging, authentic story that makes an emotional connection and which can be shared across various media. And fourth, enable others to take action toward your goal by participating and spreading the word, in ways that are easy and fun.
Jennifer Aaker is a professor of marketing in Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and the coauthor of The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective and Powerful Ways to Harness Social Media for Impact. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of California, Berkeley, and PhD in Marketing from Stanford University.