You know we had to do it. Take a motto from the Superbowl Champ Russell…last name Wilson. While these blogs will cover mostly Interactive Marketing topics, we feel it’s also important to share the basic principles that we practice here at Revolution Interactive.

“Separation is in the Preparation”

This is the most important key to a successful viral campaign. The preparation and strategy is essentially 80% of the work. The other 20% is the execution. You’d be surprised as to how many companies fail to apply basic common sense principals in their viral campaign ideation. This can be attributed to the fact that viral marketing is still a new and not that many companies consider it an essential marketing tool. Many companies still fail to realize the benefits of taking some time to properly prepare and strategize a viral marketing idea.
Preparation in terms of viral ideation would be the mix of the following; researching, strategizing, brainstorming, and scheduling. These are all essential to properly preparing for a successful viral campaign. Following these principles enables research and insight into trends and anticipating topics of discussion that will be had a couple months in advance. This may include analyzing industry/competitor trends and schedules. After the proper research, comes the strategizing. This would cover the goals and messaging that should drive the campaign. With all this in mind, the fun part comes. The brainstorm sessions of the big idea. Don’t leave anything off the board, no idea is stupid. It should only fuel or spark other ideas which might be the perfect fit for the campaign. After the big idea has been figured out, then comes the execution. Deliver the viral campaign brilliantly enough, and you might see the fruits of your labor return tenfold.

Here are some examples of how companies used this motto to leverage their marketing campaigns…

Derrick Coleman – Duracell Battery commercial

Duracell beautifully executed a successful campaign with the NFL’s FIRST legally deaf NFL football player Derrick Coleman. With the Seahawks reputation as a band of misfits, we’ve come to learn a lot about this team. There are many talented pro bowlers on this team, but Duracell found a gem. Looking elsewhere, they stumbled upon a story that exemplified the essence of overcoming adversity. The first legally deaf player on the #1 ranked NFC team. What a great story and wonderful production. The video was beautifully produced and the execution of this campaign was perfect as it was released right when the Seattle Seahawks began their playoff run to become SuperBowl Champions! Good thing Derrick Coleman was using Duracell batteries for his hearing aid when he was young!

Viral Results: 22 million YouTube views since January 10, 2014

Richard Sherman – Beats By Dre commercial

Beats seemed to have extremely intuitive football fans as they successfully identified THE biggest NFL rivalry for the 2013 season (Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers) and properly anticipated the NFC Champion matchup by sponsoring players from BOTH teams. Even though the story began as they created a commercial with the San Francisco 49er’s Colin Kaepernick, they were also able to anticipate the need to side with the Seattle Seahawk’s trash talker Richard Sherman. After the NFC championship game was over, a post interview with Richard Sherman blew up the social media media universe with the most trending topic being Richard Sherman’s rant. Beats immediately saw their calculated preparation return dividends. The social media universe was turned upside down while people took sides agains and with Richard Sherman. Beats was caught right in the middle of it. All from a carefully researched and calculated move.

Viral Results: 2 million YouTube views since January 19, 2014

We love to IDEAte here at Revolution Interactive. Coming up with fun, innovative ideas to gain an edge is something that our team strives to accomplish for all our partners. What others might see as big risks, others see as calculated risks. What some see as calculated risks, others see as proper research or “preparation”. Here at Revolution Interactive we know…. “Separation is in the Preparation” #GoHawks