notes and views on crm, social media, and the human side of information technology

How viral is too viral?

Imagine this: you walk into a bookstore, pick a title, walk up to the cashier’s desk only to be told you have to woo 8 other customers into purchasing the same book, otherwise - no deal.

Ludicrous?

Facebook apps do that. I’ve given one, What’s your real age? or somesuch, 5 minutes of my time, only to realize they wouldn’t reveal my “real age” to me unless I signed up 8 of my “friends”. At that time, I’ve only had 6 of them there, and wouldn’t bother any of them.

Sure, it’s a *free* app, free in the sense I don’t have to pay with my money. But I still had to pay with my time, which is of infinite value since I’ll die one day. How are they going to refund me now that I am pissed?

This isn’t viral marketing, it’s a school-bus-hijack marketing done by companies who either don’t have a product capable of gaining momentum based on its quality, or have seriously misunderstood of what “word of mouth” is.

For the slow learners among you culprits: it’s when your customers talk about you because they want to!

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May 9, 2008 | Filed Under CRM, Rants 

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