I was reading a post on the SWOM site (excellent use of Ning), and there was a post about Viral vs. Word of mouth.
I completely agree with Ben McConnell that viral marketing doesn't
exist AND that viral results are a result of word of mouth. In
addition, that it involves constantly changing technology.
That fits perfectly with many discussions I have regarding technology. It's not about technology; it's about applying technology to meet a business need. In the case of word of mouth, it's about using technology to spark conversations about a brand that lead to increased discussions online and offline.
Take away: Technology may have been the vehicle that caused a great word of mouth program to go "viral", but neither technology nor "viral marketing" started the process. It was a great word of mouth program that created something worth talking about in the first place that was the foundation.
That fits perfectly with many discussions I have regarding technology. It's not about technology; it's about applying technology to meet a business need. In the case of word of mouth, it's about using technology to spark conversations about a brand that lead to increased discussions online and offline.
Take away: Technology may have been the vehicle that caused a great word of mouth program to go "viral", but neither technology nor "viral marketing" started the process. It was a great word of mouth program that created something worth talking about in the first place that was the foundation.
