Elvis rubs backs. If you were an Elvis fan and saw this line posted somewhere and it was followed by an easy to remember web address, you would probably visit the site to see what this was all about. How about the idea of having a plush dog sadly looking at you from a billboard – the line underneath states that you can visit the website indicated and it allows you to make the dog happy with a virtual puppy treat; many dog lover will most likely visit this site to find out what this ad is all about. If you would be among them, then you have just fallen for viral marketing. In spite of its rather ominous sounding name, viral marketing is little more than capturing a target audience’s attention and persuading them to visit a website.

There is the viral marketing video email that contains a silly video which pushes a product. It is so funny that in spite of its commercial message it gets forwarded all over the world simply because people enjoy it. Viral marketing online also takes place at sites that are known for their videos posted by users, such as YouTube. Any kind of marketing, viral or otherwise, on the Internet now needs to step it up a bit since advertisers are getting more creative and the interactive medium is quickly dominating the attention of those surfing the ‘Net.

A successful viral marketing campaign should be able to get a large number of visitors to a website in a relatively short period of time – with proper saturation of the market. Viral marketing gurus like to create a buzz that does not necessarily surround the product but the delivery of the ad itself, thus creating a curiosity among the target audience that will even have those who would not usually visit the site come to take a look. Viral marketing works simply because it is refreshingly different from is currently found on the ‘Net.

In addition to the foregoing, viral marketing also capitalizes on the offline audience – those who might not usually surf the web or only do so for very specific reasons. While viral email marketing is limited because of the SPAM regulations, viral marketing software and a successful viral marketing script displayed on a billboard by the highway can have as much and perhaps even more of an impact. A viral marketing strategy may be the best way to go for the company that has a healthy advertising budget.