Re: UKNM: Viral Marketing

[Lois Grayson]

Viral marketing is as we all seem to agree (for once) nothing new

Tim's contribution was as usual pertinent - except for the phrase 'little

fuckers' (I reckon under that bald nut lies a brain brimming with the urge

to procreate; it's a selfish gene kinda thing) - but it HAS already worked

for adults


Here's my contribution, written as usual from a brand geek perspective:


The BEST real world example of viral marketing I've ever come across is

Steady Eddie. This logistics company has got a brilliant brand building

campaign for next to nothing - in fact it's the ONLY brand building they do.

And it all started with a silly habit regular drivers got into of beeping

Eddie Stobbard lorries whenever they saw one on the motorway. Car stickers

followed, the craze spread, Steady Eddie was invented (by the company). Now

there's a Dinky toy(!)range, a website and a host of branded goods. Kids

love Steady Eddies (we picked one up as a promotional gift from a Happy

Chef) but it was ADULTS who started the craze and perpetuate it. Why should

a logistics company decide to exploit something that happened accidentally?

Ultimately it has saved them masses of money (in agency fees Tim) and given

them a very firm reputation for reliability/common sense/safe driving on

motorways. Everyone in logistics knows Eddie Stobbard. And it's the best eg

of how to develop a characterful, meaningful B2B brand through viral

marketing that appealed to kids, adults and customers - without even trying.


I love this one because it demonstrates a principle I've always tried to

stick to - marketing works best when it recognises and embraces people's

everyday existence. God I wish it was always that easy


Lois



----- Original Message -----

From: <

tim [dot] haywarddigitaljwt [dot] com

>

To: <

uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

>

Sent: Monday, September 04, 2000 9:33 AM

Subject: UKNM: Viral Marketing



> I saw the best bit of viral marketing imaginable at the weekend and it had

> nothing to do with the internet. A kids product which I think is called

> 'Tiny

> Pots' which is, as the more astute marketeers amongst you will have

> realised, a

> very small pot of yoghourt-like, dairy-style flavoured product.

>

> The hook for the little addicts is the presence of 'Thomas and his

> Friends' -a

> sort of terribly British Pokemon- emblazoned on each tiny pot. The viral

bit

> was

> that the label was designed as a removeable reuseable sticker.

>

> As you may have gathered I spent some of this weekend with a borrowed

child

> (my

> bi-yearly contraceptive weekend.... spend two days with the little fuckers

> and

> all thoughts of procreation disappear for six months). After I'd managed

to

> wet-wipe my way to Billy's face through layers of encrusted lunch I

realised

> that every one of his toys had been 'Branded' with a tiny-pots sticker (as

> had

> the dog, my partner and an entirely excrable bottle of Tesco Merlot).

>

> This is staggering.

>

> Can you imagine if we could make this work for adults?

>

> T



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