iMedia Connection: Viral Marketing - Part 2

In this piece Joseph Jaffe suggests that the Honda Cog campaign was a planned online viral success. Let's have a closer look at this claim.

Letís assume the powers that be had nothing to do with the online distribution of the spot. If so, then props should go to the clients who allowed the message to spread. But what if it was planned all along? Is it a coincidence that ěThe making of the Cog Commercialî is now available?

The reason for that is because the ad, and makings of it, were distributed on DVD in the Guardian Newspaper on the Friday after it had first been shown.

Iím inclined to believe this latter theory, especially when reviewing another Honda online case study which played to the exact same word-of-mouth heartstrings.

That's a ridiculous thing to say. One is an online only campaign comprising of a number of low budget, slapstick, vaguely amusing video clips produced by Honda's old UK agency, The Leith Agency, whilst the other is a highly complex, very high cost, art-house inspired, Canne glory seeking, TV ad produced by W&K. They did not play on the "exact same word-of-mouth heartstrings" one was stupid and attracted haha interest from a base audience, whilst the other created a global media/word of mouth virus that engulfed almost all.