‘Vile’ Viral Marketing refers to the situation when individuals warn other consumers of negative experiences associated with certain services or products. As statistics suggest, on average, “when one person has a good online experience, he or she will turn around and tell 12 more people. By the same token, if that person has a bad experience, 12 others will also know about it�? (Rohrbacher, 2000).
The major reason behind what triggers vile discussion between consumers and other online networked groups is poorly designed products, companies with misleading intentions, or about any other unpleasant occurrences felt by any party involved. The best examples of vile viral campaigns were with the failed dot-coms. Comments of these less successful services quickly spread between consumers in a ‘domino effect’ like way (Rohrbacher, 2000). This shows how much of an impact word-of-mouth, or viral communication does have, as it was due to the networked consumers that a number of these businesses fell to a halt.
It must be stated that it is not only badly constructed products and insufficient services that earn the title of being a vile product. It can also be a vulgar or distasteful advert. This not only happens in smaller less known companies, and does not always lead to their demise. Inturn, it may just have an adverse effect on the company in question and leave an unprofessional mark on the brand. One well known company example that stands out in terms of Vile viral marketing is that of the Ford Sportka spoof advertisement. This virally conveyed advert shows a ginger cat jumping up onto the front of one of Fords new Sportkas’, then the sunroof closes and cuts the cats head off. Next, the audience sees the decapitated body of the cat slide down the windshield and off the car. This is followed by the slogan, ‘Ford Sportka, The Ka’s evil twin’. As the advert conveyed a sense of ‘uncalled for’ animal cruelty, many negative claims, both by consumers and even the media stated circulating. An example of this is as follows, “an "un-approved" ad for Ford SportKa that has found its way virally to market…Ford is really over the top on this one and it's sure to backfire on them�? (Ochman, 2004).
One last point that should be mentioned, is that there is a substantial ‘grey area’ surrounding the laws of online advertising, as not all the same standards apply to that by which television advertisements are governed. This is just not a recent topic, as “Complaints about the lack of clarity surrounding the regulation of online and viral advertising have been around for some time�? (Marketing Week, 2005, 18).
“McDonald’s viral ad upsets food lobbyists�?, Marketing Week. (2005) p18. ISSN 01419285
Ochman, B. (2004) “Ford Sportka ‘Unapproved’ Ad is Truly Vile�?, Whatsnextblog. retrieved 24 October, 2005, from http://www.whatsnextblog.com/archives/2004/04/ford_sportka_un.asp
Rohrbacher, B. (2000) “The Power of Viral Marketing�?, Clickz.com. retrieved 24 October, 2005 from http://www.clickz.com/experts/crm/crm_strat/print.php/831941
Daniel clark 09:15, 28 Oct 2005 (EST)
