From the dancing Thai prisoners tribute to Michael Jackson to a bunch of pre-teens showing each other how to “smoke” Smarties, some videos have the quality that makes them viral. When it can be done in support of a brand – like Dove’s Real Beauty campaign – it becomes a powerful marketing tool. 

So when I received an email recently from a local business that outlined plans for an upcoming promotional campaign, I shouldn’t have been surprised that they included “viral video campaigns.” But it did stop me. Mostly because I found the idea a little presumptuous. How did they know their message was going to go viral? I realize they wanted it to, but that’s not really how it works. 

Now I’m no expert, so I was pleased that my position was reinforced the next day in a post on AdAge.com that stated “a marketer or agency DOES NOT DECIDE WHAT IS VIRAL.” In this case the comment was about a video from Microsoft that it did not intend to go viral. But whether for good or bad, viral videos or other communication are exactly that – viral – because they spread without any real control. 

Of course, this desire to control communication when you don’t control the channel is nothing new. Traditionally, marketers have tried to control what gets reported and covered through the media. Whether it’s a company wanting coverage for a new product, or an organization seeking support for its cause, every day there is great energy expended to influence what you read in the newspaper or see on TV. But now so much communication is driven by the consumer, the blogger, and the teenager sharing what she thinks is funny with friends. So naturally, that’s who we want to control. 

The scary part is that at least most news outlets have guidelines about what they report. As cryptic as they may seem at times, seasoned PR people can learn to be successful. Can we do the same thing with the millions of people driving the conversation on the web? That’s yet to be seen. Just as the media has to get comfortable with losing some control of the conversation, so too do marketers have to get used to losing some control over their message. 

But what remains true today, as it’s always been, are the fundamentals upon which you build your business and marketing. Good products and services, genuine customer care, a strong sense of what your company stands for, and a willingness to be a part of the community in which you do business will always serve you well. Then you can work to communicate these things in fun and entertaining ways … and if you’re lucky, go viral.