Everybody wants to know how to create a viral campaign.
But it does not come as easily as it seems. Luck has a very small role in the equation. Most of the success boils down to insight and creativity.
It is a common misconception that spending enough money will eventually make a campaign successful. There might be a few companies who are able to do that, but in the end their efforts are going to be in vain. Intrusive, boring campaigns are only good for alienating the public.
The Real Secret of Viral Success
So what are the secret ingredients? How could a company gain widespread attention, and occupy the news organically, if luck and money are not the key? Well, the answer is ‘simple’ — creativity and insight.
Hectare Agritech is a start-up from the United Kingdom specialising in agricultural solutions. Their online livestock trading platform, SellMyLivestock had decent success in the UK, but the company wanted to raise its profile, and, more importantly, wished to see if there was international interest in their product(s).
Both goals were achieved with one campaign. A ‘fake’ dating application was created that worked similarly as Tinder, but for cattle. ‘Tudder’ was an obvious tongue-in-cheek play on Valentine’s Day and dating apps. Users could swipe around profiles of cows and bulls. Liking them prompted a mooing sound effect before leading users to the animal’s SellMyLivestock profile.
Campaigning around Valentine’s Day was both a great and bad idea. First of all, it is a global pseudo-holiday that makes it easier to engage a wide audience. However, people are bombarded with thematic campaigns so standing out is difficult.
A Creative Valentine’s Day
Journalists received Valentine’s Day cards, telling them about the campaign and inviting them to media briefings. These were accompanied by a cheerful press kit.
Farmers in the UK and around the world were the main audience, but ‘Tudder’ became a viral sensation. The application appeared in the world’s largest and most influential media outlets in the world. The cow dating app infiltrated pop culture as well, as it got coverage in late night shows in the US. ‘Tudder’ was trending on social media, earning 157 million reach on Twitter.
Agricultural trade media picked up on the story, which, combined with the public’s interest, led to a large amount of site visitors and new registrations on the SellMyLivestock platform.
The campaign used the principles of good comedy: it was simple and clever. They took familiar topics of everyday life, Valentine’s Day and dating apps, and combined them creatively with the company’s business.
Today, the viral sensation is just a memory, but new clients and global attention within the industry are still lasting. Which leads us to another important point, that we not only need to know how to create a viral campaign, but also why do we want to.