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Social bookmarking links and tell-a-friend forms are two of the most popular tools that marketers use to seed their campaigns. For example, if you like this article, you can bookmark it using one of the social bookmarking icons below or click on the envelope button to email it to a friend (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Although these two methods are quite effective, I think there might be room for one more opportunity: instant messaging (IM).

IM can be utilized as a more efficient form of the tell-a-friend option. This technique not only reaches its target quicker, but it also can’t be stopped by spam filters. Read the rest of this entry »

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Clarity is Key for Viral Activity
Here’s a great article on the importance of clarity when designing a viral marketing campaign. Sometimes, as marketers, we can get a bit too creative for our own good.

Photo credit: jeffhurlow

As a back-to-school campaign, HP has introduced a cheeky microsite that’s supposed to help teens convince their parents to buy an HP computer.

After the visitor chooses a computer and inputing contact information about the “target”, the “parental manipulator” sends the target a mind controlling email.

I love this! As teens, how many of us wished we could control our parents’ minds. This is one of those sites where the trip is more fun than the destination. It’s amusing from beginning to end. From a marketing perspective, I like the fact that you need to send out emails to benefit from its outcome.

As far as seeding efforts, they used traditional and web elements: television, newspapers, and numerous websites such as Bebo, Facebook, Flip, Gurl, MTV, MySpace, and MSN.

This website is definitely worth a click.

When developing a viral marketing campaign, there are a lot of things to consider and decide. From picking the viral platform to coming up with a viral hook. One thing that can be easily overlooked is the viral loop. How smooth are the steps that a user goes through between entering the site and inviting the next set of new users?

Andrew from the Futuristic Play blog has written a great article on this topic.

Photo credit: mbk

This is a little off topic; however, it’s just too interesting not to share.

In downtown Vancouver certain establishments are installing devices that emit an annoying high frequency sound that only teenagers can hear. This noise is used to discourage teens from loitering around shopping malls and street corners.

Although this is interesting, it’s not the coolest part of this story. What’s blog worthy is how the young folks have adopted this high pitch sound for their own use. Teens are actually recording this sound and using it as a secret ringer, which their parents and teachers can’t hear! You have to respect their ingenuity.

Apparently, this is also happening in other cities.

Photo credit: avantard

Pew Internet has released a study on how people view and share online videos. There’s some interesting statistics within this report. More than half of online video viewers share links with others and the average online video viewer consumed more than two video streams per day. Check it out

29 essential tools for developing a Facebook application
Resources to help you build a successful Facebook app that users will love and spread.

8 tips on how to make YouTube videos go viral
Tips from David Meerman on launching a successful viral video.

10 viral marketing best practices
A list of important things you should keep in mind when developing a viral marketing campaign.

Are you interested in adding a social bookmarking option to your website but don’t know which ones you should concentrate on? eBizMBA has assembled a list of the top 30 social bookmarketing sites on the web. Check it out.

Mentos has launched a very interesting and robust microsite, where you can ask their intern to do things for you. The concept is similar to BK’s Subservient Chicken; however, their intern is not as obedient.

Trevor the intern is a busy man, so you can’t just type in a command and expecting him to do it right away. You have to take a look through his schedule and find an open time slot.

So how can Trevor improve your life? You can ask him prank call your friend or do something more useful like proofread your term paper.

It’s a brilliant idea that’s executed beautifully. Trevor also has his own blog, a Facebook account with more than 630 friends, and a MySpace page. You can even play against him on XBox Live. If you want to interact with Trevor, you can instant message him and watch him react to it via a live video feed. This microsite is definitely worth a click.

With the Simpsons movie finally out in theaters, the marketing frenzy is now in full swing.

On the viral side, the movie company has teamed up with viral veteran Burger King to create a cool site where you can Simpsonize yourself into a Simpsons character. That’s me and my wife on the right.

Even though this isn’t a new concept, it’s still a blast to do. You can either upload a photo of yourself and they’ll Simpsonize it or you can take a few minutes and create it yourself.

I really like this idea. I’ve always wanted to appear as a character in a Simpsons episode. This microsite makes it possible…kind of. It allows me to invest a little bit of myself in the movie.

The site also has some really fun games.