X.Feng

Viral marketing has been one of the most powerful and well sought after advertising tool. With the advent of social media, its effects are bound to multiply and if able to utilize successfully, this form of marketing will definitely bring in the crowd.

How then makes a good viral marketing strategy? I’ve seen sites saying companies should offer incentives for spreading the word. Indeed, this will incentivise people to spread good things about the brand/product. However, I would then question the reliability of the content that’s spread. Would it be said out of a certain extent of obligation?

In fact, a furore among the blogging community and critics began when a young Singaporean food blogger demanded for complimentary meals at a restaurant. The news article mentions, “When presented with the final bill of $435, Lau initially refused to pay and repeatedly told the restaurant’s chef, “I never pay for food in any restaurant.”

Food blogs are common in Singapore. I guess it’s a form of viral marketing for many restaurants, especially those that are not very accessible or less well-known. But I guess the idea of offering rewards can be a touchy issue, as we could question if the content was spread because the advocator really believes in the brand/product. We wouldn’t really know if the blogger was paid to do reviews, nor would we know if the blogger blogs because of perks like complimentary meals or other incentives, as in the case of the Singaporean blogger. Though fellow food bloggers condemned his actions, I guess incidents like this may make viral marketing seem a little less attractive after all, if people start to take its content with a pinch of salt.