Publications

April 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Alison Caverly

Mekanism introduces students to a digital media production company specializing in creating viral marketing campaigns for advertising agencies and clients (e.g., Microsoft, AXE, eBay, Toyota, etc.) Mekanism has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2010 in part due to the... View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Viral Advertising; Core Competencies; Growth Strategy; Online Media; Videos; Advertising Media; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Media; Marketing; Advertising; Advertising Industry; North and Central America

3 Jul 2017
Interview

Marketing Viral com Jeffrey Rayport

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Pedro Pinto

Keywords: Social Marketing; Marketing; Marketing Strategy

2015
Other Teaching and Training Material

Marketing Reading: Digital Marketing

By: Sunil Gupta and Joseph Davin

Digital technology has changed how consumers search for information, interact with each other, and buy products. The popularization of these technologies has made it possible for companies to have a better understanding of their customers' decision journey and... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Buzz Marketing; Internet Marketing; Marketing; Marketing Management; Social Media; Social Networks; Viral Marketing; Word-of-mouth Marketing; Digital; Internet; Marketing Channels; Marketing Reference Programs; Online Advertising; Advertising Industry

30 Jul 2020
Interview

Viral Marketing and Truth with Jeffrey Rayport

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Tim Love and Rick Tocquigny

25 Nov 2013
News

Does successful viral marketing lead to a successful product?

August 2012
Background Note

Marketing Communications

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Thales S. Teixeira

This note identifies the main issues involved in the effective management of the marketing communications process. It first defines the purpose of communication. Then it classifies the tools available to communicate with consumers. In the sequel, it elaborates on how... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Communication; Advertising; Promotion; Social Media; Digital Media; Viral Advertising; Marketing; Communications Industry; North and Central America

17 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

Advertising Symbiosis: The Key to Viral Videos

expenditures. Advertisers can get the most bang for the buck if they post their videos on YouTube and then motivate consumers to disseminate the ads for them, via email or social media. Getting an ad to go viral is among the cost-saving... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

01 Feb 2012
News

Viral Advertising via Ad Symbiosis: Self-Interested Sharing

17 Jun 2013
News

Advertising Symbiosis: The Key to Viral Videos

January 2014 (Revised June 2014)
Case

Dumb Ways To Die: Advertising Train Safety (A)

By: John Quelch

The case series focuses on Melbourne Trains' viral advertising campaign to improve safe behaviors around trains among young people. This iconic, low budget campaign swept the Cannes Lions advertising awards in 2013 and became a social media sensation. View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Advertising; Marketing Communications; Social Marketing; Digital Marketing; Advertising Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Public Administration Industry; Oceania; Europe

22 Jul 2024
News

Viral Marketing’s Early Muse

Illustration by John Weber In 2008, Canadian musician Dave Carroll saw United Airlines employees manhandling his $3,500 Taylor guitar on the tarmac in Chicago. When he arrived at his destination, the guitar was in pieces. Carroll contacted United customer service... View Details

March 2012
Article

The New Science of Viral Ads

By: Thales Teixeira

It's the holy grail of digital marketing: the viral ad, a pitch that large numbers of viewers decide to share with family and friends. Several techniques derived from new technology can help advertisers attain this. In our research, two colleagues and I use... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Information Technology; Research; System; Marketing; Emotions; Television Entertainment

Find at Harvard

13 Dec 2012
News

Viral ads grab more Internet eyeballs

January 2014 (Revised June 2014)
Supplement

Dumb Ways To Die: Advertising Train Safety (C)

By: John Quelch

The case series focuses on Melbourne Trains' viral advertising campaign to improve safe behaviors around trains among young people. This iconic, low budget campaign swept the Cannes Lions advertising awards in 2013 and became a social media sensation. View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Marketing Communication; Viral Advertising; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Advertising Industry; Public Administration Industry; Transportation Industry; Oceania; Europe

January 2014 (Revised June 2014)
Supplement

Dumb Ways To Die: Advertising Train Safety (B)

By: John Quelch

The case series focuses on Melbourne Trains' viral advertising campaign to improve safe behaviors around trains among young people. This iconic, low budget campaign swept the Cannes Lions advertising awards in 2013 and became a social media sensation. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Marketing Communication; Viral Advertising; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Public Sector; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Advertising Industry; Public Administration Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Oceania; Europe

June 2013
Article

How to Profit from 'Lean Advertising'

By: Thales S. Teixeira

This article introduces the concept of Lean Advertising, i.e., how to use non-traditional approaches to create and distribute advertising using extremely low-cost approaches online. A framework for Lean Advertising is proposed that identifies the four ways in which... View Details

Keywords: Viral Advertising; Viral Ads; Online Marketing; Lean Advertising; Digital Marketing; Advertising; Advertising Industry

Read Now

January 2021 (Revised August 2021)
Case

ByteDance: TikTok and the Trials of Going Viral

By: William C. Kirby and John P. McHugh

In 2020, TikTok became the most valuable start-up ever. The short-form, video-sharing social media platform emerged as the crown jewel of the Chinese technology firm ByteDance, realizing 850 million monthly users and an estimated worth of $180 billion. However, a... View Details