You should read the following article in  Advertising Age: 

What's Plaguing Viral Marketing

Published: July 16, 2007
By: Matthew Creamer

Since the term "viral marketing" snuck into vogue in the mid-1990s, the ad business has been sold on sickness as the way to describe how information, ideas and influence spread through populations of consumers. But now a long-taken-for-granted central principle of viral marketing -- that large-scale changes in behavior can begin like disease epidemics, with just a few highly connected people -- is facing its toughest challenge yet. At the center of a growing fray is an unlikely figure: an Australian-born sociology professor at Columbia University named Duncan Watts, who comes armed with mathematical models that, he believes, unsettle much of what you think you know about viral marketing.

I left the following comment:

To gain some clarity, I would like to limit the discussion to PR for technology and industrial products. Let us differentiate between viruses and pandemics. A virus is spread at the office. One person sneezes and the whole company becomes infected. Pandemics, like the Black Plague, spread across the world. I think the author was really saying that pandemics are not so easy to start.  Nasty imagery but it gets to the truth of the matter

 

For the markets we address, we believe in the power of targeted, viral events or micro-pandemics. Our universes are smaller and mostly, well defined. You can influence specific networks of people virally in order to add economic value. 

 

Our firm uses integrated campaigns that have elements of mass and viral marketing. We define key message points that reflect the brand and push strategic imperatives. We use a variety of business and trade media, both traditional and online, to get the message out. Experts and customers are engaged to prove claims. Case histories are written. Social networks are built using a variety of Web 2.0 tools. We go to the correct shows and work to gain good media coverage and help attract and land trophy accounts.  

 

 

What do you think? Please leave a comment below.

Howard