Oy, Three Tips for Capturing Attention and Going Viral

Every year about this time we members of the tribe engage in a sacred tribal ritual: sending email jokes, videos, and other types of hah hahs to each other so we can have something to talk about at our family dinners over green bean casserole and boiled chicken. (Thank you, tribal leader Len Glazer, for leading this annual rite.)

Those of us MOTs in marketing recognize these not just for their deep religious significance, but that, while they don’t reach everyone in the population, they do become semi(te)-viral.

Viral marketing is often attempted—but not often achieved—by many firms. For those of you out there that haven’t figured out a way to get it right, here are a few tips from the yarmulke crew.

Make it funny, but not to everyone: So much marketing tries to be everything to everyone. It shouldn’t. The reason these pass alongs are funny is not because they’re written so everyone will laugh when they see them, but the subset of people who share the common thread will.

Dennis Miller once described his failed attempt at late night network television because his humor didn’t appeal broadly enough. He said that he’s often telling a joke to that one guy…that one guy who’s seen North by Northwest and gets his Leo G. Carroll reference. This might be only one person out of 100, but they’ll be rolling on the floor. But this doesn’t work well on broadcast TV because it makes for 99 channel changers.

It works on HBO, though, where Miller spent about 9 years leading a popular show. Why? They’re both TV, right? Well, network TV is considered broadcast, and HBO is narrowcast. In other words, it’s for a smaller, more defined subset of people.

Most firms should build and distribute their message with narrowcasting in mind, but they head down the broadcast path instead.

(Side note: narrowcasting is why the video on John Doerr’s recent post is so funny…at least to me, and probably to you, given what we do for a living.)

Deal with the “I didn’t get it” crew. Here’s what the marketing message crafting path looks like at many a firm: someone comes up with an edgy idea, a lot of people weigh in and water it down, people don’t want to fight so they compromise, edgy ideas go dull but still get launched. Campaign fails.

This can happen because someone says, “I didn’t get it, and neither will anyone else.” If you hear this, you have two choices.

1. Agree that no one will get it and start over.

2. Disagree with them with them that no one will get it and press on.

If #2 is the answer, you have to make another choice.

You can alter the message so the people that won’t get it will be included. This is tricky and usually leads to a wat’ry grave.

You can let some people not get it this time. This is usually the best option, especially if you can target the receivers of the message to folks who largely will get it.

The most advanced communicators can build in multiple layers of meaning to the same message delivery, with the different meanings resonating with different audiences.

Shakespeare was a master at this. Most of his plays ran at the Globe Theater. Folks of all financial means could attend, and that brought folks of all different educational backgrounds and preferences.

Some loved the saucy language (damn her, lewd minx!), the action, and the fights, others caught the dry humor and followed the complexity of the story, and still others appreciated the elegance of the structure, the arcane religious references, and deeper, philosophical implications. He could play to one audience without ignoring the others, and so can you.

(Sure, this somewhat conflicts with tip #1, but I’m comfortable with that. Show me your Shakespeare and I’ll amend the point.)

Deliver it at the right time. I’m not sure the Jewish email chain would catch fire in February as it does in September. With all due respect and much love for trees, Tu B’Shevat just doesn’t demand the kind of attention that Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur do.

Timing can be based on an event in the market, the time of year, or anything that has your target market turning their attention to something. If it’s on people’s minds, it’s relevant to them. Start with relevance, then throw in a few pink Muppets and a twist and it just may make the rounds into everyone’s inbox.

L’shana tova.