The Top 5 Viral Ads of 2008

 

A lady shocked that there are no more Whoppers.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Blue MauMau) - Here is the editor's pick of top franchise related viral marketing nuggets of 2008. Viral marketing — stealth online campaigns, games, videos and organic submissions of various kinds that take off on social networks —  is analogous to a virus that cannot be stopped from spreading. People just want to share the humor or the astonishing. As a child of social media, these pieces typically have a folksy, humorous quality to them.

Sometimes these things just start out by a guy on a voyage, adding a jig, and recording it. Such small beginnings grew into an online phenomenon like Where in the Hell is Matt? (Not a franchise related viral phenomenon but one worth watching). Wherever in the world Matt goes, people now know him and he is joined by crowds.

Sometimes these things are stealth advertising by big ad agencies. Franchise chains in 2008 still seem to be struggling with this - even though a well placed viral ad can theoretically cost pennies but receive huge audiences. This year's winner was a calculated viral effort.  Crispin Porter + Bogusky coordinated Internet and traditional media in the Whopper campaign, Whopper Freak Out.

Here is a slide show presentation of Blue MauMau's picks for top 5 viral ads of 2008.