A Formula for Viral Content

I spent most of last week at WebTrends Engage, a conference that focuses on the convergence of mobile, social and analytics technologies. And, in addition to being an attendee, I was invited to speak as part of the “Social Media Expert Panel” on Wednesday Afternoon. We covered a variety of topics, but there was one question that stood out: Can virality be predicted?

We’ve seen the success of viral videos in a corporate driven environment, the BlendTec series and the Coca-Cola “Happiness Truck” are great examples of that, but is there a formula that gives marketers the ability to churn through these types of campaigns consistently?

I would argue that no, there isn’t a formula for creating viral content, and that it’s a dangerous game to try and create a campaign only for the purpose of it going viral. As an example, look at the campaigns that were intended to go viral, but failed (or, went viral for the wrong reasons): The Dr. Pepper status Facebook takeover, Vodaphone’s #mademesmile campaign, etc.

But not everyone agrees, and this was cause for a healthy panel debate.

So after returning, I did some research and found a few studies that claim to have identified the factors most closely associated with viral content. One of those studies can be viewed here. (SmartWater and Jennifer Aniston lookA  to be in the middle of a study, too)

To Summarize the article, there are 5 factors that can “predict ability to generate viral viewings.” They are:

1. Established creative drivers (enjoyment, involvement and branding)
2. Ad distinctiveness
3. Use of celebrity
4. Claimed “likelihood to forward” survey responses
5. Levels of category and brand interest

An interesting list, although it seems too generic to be entirely useful, especially for brands that don’t have the creative leeway to execute. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. Viral content (videos especially) generally come from well-established brands. Aside from BlendTec, what no-name companies have been able to go viral?
2. Seeding strategies are key, including the use of paid media. Would the Old Spice videos have been as popular on YouTube if they weren’t also supported by the Super Bowl commercial?
3. Most brands can’t create viral content, because the type of content required to sustain such a campaign won’t fit within brand pillars.

The benefits of viral campaigns are outstanding. Costs are generally low and brand impressions high, but success in viral marketing is like winning the lottery. And, from a corporate perspective is more closely associated with the amount spent on paid media used to supplement a “viral” campaign.

Which begs the question: At that point, is it really even a viral campaign at all?