Jason Fell’s story in the Entrepreneur magazine is based on a talk he attended (and I also attended!) by thought leader Jonah Berger who wrote a book called Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Simon &  Schuster, 2013)
He made really compelling cases for why some ad campaigns catch on and spread like a disease. Here are 3 ways he says this can be done:

1. Use word-of-mouth to your advantage. Viral content  needs to get people talking.
Berger  talked about Orem, Utah-based blender manufacturer Blendtec, which launched a  marketing campaign on YouTube called “Will It Blend.” In each video, founder and  former chief executive Tom Dickson put a random item into a blender to find out  if it would blend. In one video, Dickson dropped an iPhone into a Blendtec  blender, reducing the smart phone to dust.
2. Associate your brand with a popular, common  ‘trigger.’
An example of a brand that tapped into the marketing power of a trigger is  The Hershey Company. It created a campaign linking its Kit Kat chocolate bar with coffee. Coffee can work as a  trigger, Berger said, because people drink it frequently. “If you’re going to  pick something to link your brand to, make sure it’s something people do  frequently,” he said.
3. Tell a compelling story.  In business, you need to deliver marketing messages in the  form of an engaging, memorable story that people will want to share.
Berger talked about the sandwich franchise Subway and its story of Jared, a  man who lost hundreds of pounds eating Subway sandwiches. The story  was so inspiring that it was shared and talked about all over the world.
via Will You Be the Next Grumpy Cat or Gangnam Style? 3 Keys to Creating Viral Marketing Content.

Good marketing in my world of marketing consultants to get them more clients is mostly about basing your message on the client’s headaches and problems and putting a creative spin on what people are desperately looking for. If you can tell people you can help them with their most dire needs in a way that creates an emotion (funny, sad etc.) then you’re going to be the most contagious marketer of all your peers.
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