RE: UKNM: viral marketing

[Lorraine Eaton]

Particularly late on thi one due to holiday in Malta -


I work for gameplay plc


We launched the Robbie Vs Liam Slugfest - I produced and PR'd this one.


This was a viral game. You then can challenge friend to beat your score. We

sent it to 80,000 or so, then gained over 150,000 registrations.


Being a games company our unit can really fulfill viral marketing with a

significant competitive edge by giving the target customer a downloadable

piece of entertainment in return for their information, with prizes, not

just expecting them to oblige. We fully report on the effectivenes as well

as supporting prizes offered as further incentive to play.


Here is this paticular example


http://www.gameplay.com/slugfest  (right hand link)


; � )

Lorraine Eaton <

lorraineIDM [dot] co [dot] uk

>

Accounts Manager

020 8781 6605

Check it http://www.gameplay.com

; � )




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

From: Piers Beckley [

piers [dot] beckleybbc [dot] co [dot] uk (mailto:piers [dot] beckleybbc [dot] co [dot] uk)

]

Sent: 06 September 2000 12:44

To:

uknmchinwag [dot] com

Subject: RE: UKNM: viral marketing



> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 10:58:35 +0100

>

From: Steve Bowbrick <steveuk [dot] another [dot] com>

> Subject: Re: UKNM: viral marketing

>

> At 5:09 pm +0100 16/9/99, Paul Douglas wrote:

> >Charles Linn wrote:

> >>

> >>  Does anyone on the list have any experience of 'viral marketing'


[snip]


> >90s term for word of mouth, isn't it?

>

> No. If it's to fit the definition of 'viral', it specifically

> excludes word-of-mouth.


nonono.


viral = using a host's resources to propagate itself (dunno who gave that

definition earlier, but it works very well indeed)


So word-of-mouth is indeed viral. As are jokes, and even reputations - it's

just that with the aid of the Internet it's much faster to propagate a joke

or other w-o-m by email/website than by telephone or in person.


> Presumably Hotmail got (and gets) lots of new users via word-of-mouth

> but the key device was (and is) the sig file which chugs away happily

> in the absence of word-of-mouth.


What you refer to here is a _more effective_ virus, as it forces its own

inclusion into communications.


Think of it as the equivalent of a virus that forces the host to sneeze

after infection - this will spread more effectively than viruses that don't

bring on sneezing or coughing, as it will distribute many more copies of

itself more effectively by sending them liberally into the atmosphere.


Of course with an idea virus, as with a cold, you want to ensure that the

distribution system isn't so offputting that the host stays away from others

- either by staying home in bed, or switching to another email provider that

doesn't include a marketing .sig


>  The reason this is more than just

> pedantic is that you'll want to model viral and other marketing

> methods (including w-o-m) separately in your P&L because their

> relative effectiveness will differ,


v. true for all marketing methods, viral or not.


phb



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