Tell Hetrick

Hetrick clients often ask, What is viral marketing? Here’s an example.

The Monon Trail—the rails-to-trails walking and biking path–is a block from my house, and I ride or walk it a few times a week. It gets crowded at peak times (hint: this is not the time or place to teach your kid to ride a bike). And like a crowded highway, a lot of passing takes place: bikers passing walkers, roller-bladers passing strollers.

Common sense calls for letting pass-ees know you’re coming around them, so they don’t suddenly swerve in front of you or gesticulate to make a conversational point and knock you in the face. When the Monon first opened in 1996, a few people—presumably those who had used urban trails in other cities–signalled their passing intentions by saying “On your left” as they approached, or ringing their bicycle bell, or simply saying, “Behind you.”

It caught on. Now, I’d say about half of the Monon’s users say something when they’re preparing to pass. It’s become my habit, too.

When people talk about viral marketing, this is what they’re talking about. Whether you’re doing it online or on inline skates, viral marketing has its roots in plain old word-of-mouth—multiplied exponentially by the reach of the Internet. If you craft a message that solves someone’s problem—or entertains them, or teaches them, or moves them—that message will get passed along. And if the message is good enough, people don’t care if it also promotes a product or service.

Here’s a great example.

What viral marketing messages have you caught lately?