So many artists have created viral marketing campaigns through either their music videos, products like shirts and accessories, or their specific artistic style. The most recent viral idea in hip hop was practiced by Soulja Boy’s music videos. His was a viral idea, but not necessarily viral marketing. 

Here’s some great information by Seth Godin on the topic of viral marketing. Make sure to checkout his book entitled Idea Virus which is free here.

Viral marketing only works well when you plan for it, when you build it in, when you organize your offering to be spreadable, interesting and to work better for everyone involved when it spreads. If I don’t benefit from spreading it, why should I spread it? I won’t. If you don’t benefit from your users spreading the idea, it might spread, but it won’t help you much. So both elements have to be present.

The reason for this post is that viral marketing is getting a bad name, largely from clueless marketing agencies and clueless marketers. Here’s what they do: they get a lame product, or a semi-lame product, and they don’t have enough time or money to run a nationwide ad campaign. So, instead, they slap some goofy viral thing on top of it and wait for it to spread. And if it doesn’t spread, they create a faux controversy or engage a PR firm or some bloggers and then it still doesn’t work.

Being viral isn’t the hard part. The hard part is making that viral element actually produce something of value, not just entertainment for the client or your boss.

Now what if viral marketing were actually combined with conscious music? What if dope emcees actually had some solid promotion behind them? What if they had promotion that wasn’t guerilla style, but more focused and viral? Over the next several months, I’m going to be personally putting some attention into this and writing editorials based on this idea.