This post was contributed by Piotr Jakubowski, please take time to visit his website at http://piotrj.wordpress.com/

With the development of the internet and YouTube, one area of online advertising has been exploding. Viral. Through the use of technology and the explosion of online video, many companies have jumped on top of the concept, creating viral campaigns that bring attention to the products while staying just below the radar (in most cases).

Viral marketing, based on word of mouth and an extremely high pass along rate has been around for years, but the rise in internet use has created an even more efficient platform for sharing videos and other things online. One of the companies that has embraced this the quickest is Burger King. With everything from the King to the Subservient Chicken, BK has managed to lead the pack in viral videos and other forms of gaining attention.

In the last month, they’ve managed to release three great viral campaigns which have taken the internet by storm.

Fire Meets Desire

A fragrance that is actually available to buy, Fire Meets Desire connects BK with something completely irrelevant – toiletries. The Eau De Toilette, smelling like a piece of flame grilled heaven, is promoted through a site containing sensual images and an unmistakable 70s porn groove. Flipping through the videos by spraying the bottle, the user has an unmistakable experience with a brand that doesn’t take life too seriously. Look for the surprise appearance by The King himself.

Whopper Sacrifice

A Facebook application that was recently taken down, the Whopper Sacrifice allowed users who installed the application to “sacrifice” 10 of their friends for a free Whopper coupon. A brilliant idea that was halted by Facebook after just a few days, the result yielded plenty of sacrifices (233,906 friendships to be exact) and plenty of free PR for the company in the various news stories. Though Whopper Sacrifice was ultimately canned by the forces that be, if you check the website, you can send an Angry-Gram to the people who sacrificed you for their tasty burger.

Angry-Gram

Paired with the release of the new Angry Whopper spots on TV, the Angry-Gram uses simple online forms to create a relatively personalized message, Mad-Libs style. Type in your friends email address and choose from the options available, and they’ll get a rude awakening from a zesty, spicy burger. Though this technology’s been around for a while, BK uses it to its full extent, not only creating a site that you can pass-along, but a campaign that connects with other media.

One lesson that we can learn through these various campaigns is that any PR is always good PR. Though the company may not have gained any value from creating a flame-grilled burger scent, the constant repetition in the low-involvement realm reminds consumers about the nature of the company and the product.

Links

http://www.whoppersacrifice.com

http://www.firemeetsdesire.com

http://www.angry-gram.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0116-talk-whopperjan16,0,3233453.story (Whopper takedown story)

http://piotrj.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/take-it-to-the-next-level-tv-ads-online/

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Filed under: Interactive Advertising, Piotr Jakubowski, Burger King, Piotr Jackubowski, viral media