When Feed Company released a new viral video for Ray Bans, they posted on http://www.beyondmadisonavenue.com/2007/05/new-ray-ban-viral/ that this clip was going to be the latest in a short list of viral video sensations. The video was released at the start of May has already been viewed more than a million times, favourite over six-thousand times and commented-on over six-thousand times (including dozens of video responses and user generated spoofs.) Here is the original campaign:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-prfAENSh2k&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fgregverdino%2Etypepad%2Ecom%2Fgreg%5Fverdinos%5Fblog%2F2007%2F05%2Ffail%5Fyour%5Fway%5Ft%2Ehtml

This example will invariably persuade a number of brands to have a go at the viral marketing game - with mixed results. Unfortunately many viral campaigns don't reach the heady heights of the videos that have inspired them. In such cases, many marketing agencies simply tick the 'viral' box and then move onto the next marketing fad that they are yet to try. However, what the should do is go back to the drawing board and create another, and then another until they hit a cord with the desired consumer.

The 'trial and error' philosophy of viral marketing means that there is often errors, making this format very different to traditional marketing. In traditional advertising, you launch a campaign and expect immediate, measurable results. In viral marketing, you need to put something out there, expect nothing and keep fine tuning until you catch the consumer wave.