Internet meme & Viral Promotions
H O P P E R P E D I A ©
-Brian Hammons
June 14, 2010: 2,610 hits
Internet "meme" (hear the pronunciation: click here!)
In simple terms, an Internet meme is "inside" knowledge that a large number of Internet users are in on. They are spread organically, voluntarily, and from peer to peer. Internet meme is simply the transmition of a digital file or hyperlink from one person to others using methods available through the Internet (example: email, blogs, social networking sites, instant messaging, etc). One common form of Internet meme is created when a person, company, product, musical group, or the like is promoted on the internet for its pop culture value. Common meme content often consists of an altered or original image, a website, a video clip or animation, or an offbeat news story. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself. Internet memes have a tendency to evolve and spread extremely swiftly, sometimes going in and out of popularity in just a few days.
Public relations, advertising, and marketing professionals have embraced Internet memes as a form of viral marketing to create marketing "buzz" for their product or service. Internet memes are seen as cost-effective, and a way to create an image of cleverness or trendiness. Marketers, for example, use Internet memes to create interest in films that would otherwise not generate positive publicity among critics. The film Snakes on a Plane generated much publicity from this method.Political operatives use Internet memes to shape opinion. Used in the context of public relations, the term would be more of an advertising buzzword than a proper Internet meme, although there is still an implication that the interest in the content is for purposes of trivia, ephemera, or frivolity rather than straightforward advertising and news
Viral Buzzwords
Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to techniques that use pre-existing social networks to increase brand awareness or to achieve other objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating processes, analogous to a computer virus. Viral promotions consist of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, and text messages. The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify and promote to individuals with high Social Networking Potential (SNP). These individuals have the ability to influence other people on that particular network. A close synonym is the Alpha User, a person with a high SNP. Alpha Users are key elements of any social networks, who manage the connectivity of the core members of the community. Similar to how viruses spread in nature, there is an initial starting point to communications in social networks, and the originators of such communications are Alpha Users. They tend to be highly connected users with exceptional influence to the other thought-leaders of any social network.
Viral Campaigning
Traditional advertising is expensive relative to viral campaigns. Companies who want to create a succesful viral marketing campaign but are unsure what to communicate and which media to use should consider hiring a profesional marketing and design company. As viral videos have increased in popularity, the entertainment industry has begun researching ways to profit from the phenomenon. Example: Youtube videos have begun offering purcahse links, which allows users to purchase a product being advertised on the video by clicking on a black bar that appears while the video is playing. The recent success of the one-click buying method allows companies to profit from the success of viral videos. Other media companies have formed partnerships with video sharing sites in the hope that increased traffic will lead users to their sites.
Social Impact
Internet celebrities
Video websites such as YouTube often create Internet celebrities, individuals who have attracted significant publicity in their home countries from their videos.
Music promotion
YouTube & Pandora have become a means of promoting bands and their music.
Advertisements
Viral advertisements are frequently compared to television advertisements. Viral videos not only provide important information but humor and entertainment to the viewer. Humor can play an important role in attracting a desired audience.
Education
Viral videos have increased in popularity as teaching and instructive aids.
Political implications
The proliferation of viral videos in political campaigns highlights the fact that people increasingly turn to the internet to receive their news.
