When Going Viral: How To Plan For Riding The Wave Of Your Life

Can you imagine getting the opportunity to launch a viral product, campaign, or business. Not just any viral product, but rather one that sees its sales skyrocket, all while millions of people around the globe learn about your brand overnight. It’s like catching and riding the tidal wave of your life that surfers dream of. But what happens when that tidal wave crashes and your viral business isn’t prepared to handle the immense amount of traction it created. Well then, that leaves you with a whole cluster of problems that I like to call “When Going Viral Sucks!”

ABC News covering the Hoverboard catching fire

I have a special relationship with the lessons learned associated with viral marketing. I experienced a viral wave of traction and rode this wave for 14 months, only to then see the wave crash and burn on shore. Remember 2015’s Hoverboard product that literally and figuratively blew up? You know those two wheeled devices that every celebrity and 10 year old was riding around on? The device that would overheat when you charged it and then would explode resulting in people’s homes burning down? I was the cofounder of 2015’s most popular Hoverboard brand called PhunkeeDuck and our brand experienced all the positives and negatives of what happens when you go viral. We experienced virality in the truest sense the word has to offer, Now let’s discuss the startup lessons learned so that you can plan to ride the viral wave of your life, hopefully in a more sustainable fashion than I did!

Let’s start with what the definition of virality is and that is, “The tendency of an image, video, or piece of information to be circulated rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another.”  

There are various tactics that can be leveraged to have a business, product, or campaign go viral. In my opinion, and I hate to break the news, but there’s plenty of luck associated with going viral. Everyday thousands if not millions of people and businesses pump out new content, products, and features that they hope will trigger massive amounts of traction. The traction they wish to generate could be either measured in the form of likes, shares, purchases, or signups.  There are definitely best practices and strategies one can take to hopefully give themselves a higher probability of experiencing virality. Here are my top 5 must have characteristics that can trigger something going viral:

1. Timing and ensuring you’re capitalizing on a moment

2. Being first-to-market with whatever it is you are trying to provide people with

3. Having an eye-popping or jaw-dropping effect on those who interact with you

4. Very high emotional engagement

5. Whatever you’re doing needs to be mass audience worthy 

If you can pair these five characteristics up with some effective marketing tactics in different channels such as public relations, influencer marketing, or social media you’ll be heading in the right direction towards producing a viral promotion.

During my time in the Hoverboard game I learned first hand the serious downsides that come with not being adequately prepared for virality. The first-mover advantage PhunkeeDuck triggered and owned in the Hoverboard industry created a viral coefficient for our brand that small businesses and startup technology companies would only dream of. The viral coefficient is defined by the number of new users an existing user generates and as a result calculates the exponential referral cycle taking place for a business. Given how massive our viral coefficient was and the earthquake of traction that ensued, it would have been extremely difficult for any small business or startup to have properly planned ahead of time for this kind of tipping point. However there are certainly things that first-time entrepreneurs or those in the marketing world can do on the planning front ahead of actually going viral. Obviously every business, product, or campaign is different, but here’s my top 5 listing of the key things you need to either plan for ahead of time or be extremely mindful of, when going viral.

1. Guidelines or parameters around what you will and will not do to continue fueling your viral engine (ie. free product gifting)

2. A crisis public relations messaging strategy and talk track

3. Resource recognition and allocation towards departments directly tied to your viral growth (ie. customer service)

4. Definition and close monitoring of your red light warning signs

5. Have the right talent on your team with industry expertise capable of making critical decisions

Once you’ve started to experience your product go viral it’s time for your team to get on high alert. For us at PhunkeeDuck it was the consistent inbound demand for our product from ordinary people, mainstream media, and the largest celebrities on the planet that indicated we officially were going viral. When millions of people start seeing your product it will certainly provide you with plenty of positive momentum, but if you’re not careful the positives can quickly be overtaken by negative momentum. As a business you’ll need to be thinking about how you can maintain this viral traction while also managing it properly. Examples of managing virality range heavily but it could include everything such as keeping your team’s sanity in check, staying highly communicative with your suppliers, or replying to all the inbound comments and requests from people interested in what it is you have to offer. 

There will definitely be problems when you go viral. As you can imagine it’s quite difficult to prepare ahead of time for every type of expected or unexpected collateral damage impact that can come from gaining huge amounts of traction in a super short time period. That said you want to put yourself in a position that when one problem pops up you can quickly and efficiently solve that problem. You also want to try and be able to plan ahead of time for a likely problem you’ll encounter and have a few solutions ready to implement when you encounter it. You don’t want to get into a position where you have multiple problems popping up simultaneously and by the time you solve one of those problems three new ones arise. That type of viral scenario is the one that will sink your business which is what we experienced with PhunkeeDuck. At PhunkeeDuck there are various examples of when and how this took place. For instance being on backorder from day one of launch, online fraudsters invading our website, or hundreds of daily inbound calls, and emails we received.  The key learning is that when you get bombarded with a multitude of problems all at once, it becomes really really difficult to solve all those problems simultaneously. Once you solve one of the problems three new ones tend to pop up shortly there afterwards. If as a company we would have thought and planned for critical mass traction problems, and their accompanying solutions we likely would have weathered the storm better. For instance having a dedicated fraud detection solution for our e-commerce website, or issuing laddering PO’s with our Chinese factory for more units and having an internal colleague on the ground in China overseeing our shipments. These are a few valuable solutions that we wished in hindsight to have implemented ahead of going viral. 

Max Ringelheim conducting his interactive Hoverboard workshop

Getting the opportunity to launch a viral business is one of the most thrilling and coolest feelings you’ll have in your life. For me being able to tell the story about launching PhunkeeDuck now 5 years later, and about being on top of the Hoverboard product fad and being responsible for initiating this product’s global adoption is something I enjoy doing through blogging, podcasting, and specifically my interactive learning and development workshops. This thrilling, one-of-a-kind feeling can unfortunately cast mirages in the heads of entrepreneurs and startups. When you’ve got Time Magazine featuring you as one of the year’s best inventions, and Jamie Foxx and Jimmy Fallon riding around on Hoverboards while name dropping you on national television it creates the illusion in your mind that everything is going really well when it’s unfortunately not. The way I like to think about these mirages is like a pizza pie. What’s happening is that on the surface of this pizza, the cheese and the sauce just look spectacular and delicious to eat, but underneath you’ve got dough and bread that is rotten and all discolored and fungused. What winds up happening is that the positive sensation at first of taking a delicious bite of pizza only lasts so long before the negative sensations from eating fungused pizza kicks in later (you get the picture). Which ultimately results in, “When Going Viral Sucks!”

P.S. - Big shout out and thank you to Michael Terwindt and Jonny Hudson at their awesome company Validation Run for giving me the opportunity to write this piece in collaboration with them. Truly appreciate the co-promotion and support!

Coronavirus, The Virus That Went Viral - When Going Viral SUCKS!

Coronavirus, The Virus That Went Viral - When Going Viral SUCKS!

Coronavirus spreads from Asia to North America

The concept of a virus going viral seems a bit odd on the surface. Almost like a paradoxical statement that I never imagined I would have to cover.  However, the extent to which the coronavirus (COVID-19) has gone viral for all the wrong reasons and taken the world by storm believe it or not has some lessons to be learned by marketers and business people everywhere. 

Since mid-December, different portions of the world have been completely gripped by the negative implications of the coronavirus and this WHEN GOING VIRAL SUCKS moment. What first started in China slowly migrated to western nations across Europe and North America. As the virus moved west it continued impacting billions of people around the world and eventually turned into a health pandemic. This health pandemic has now caused a global financial crisis with experts struggling to find where and when the light at the end of the tunnel is.

The coronavirus is certainly a WHEN GOING VIRAL SUCKS moment for obvious reasons. For one, billions of people are feeling isolated and bored due to social distancing. Second, millions of people are going to lose their jobs as their employer closes its doors or slashes staffing headcount to try and frantically keep their books balanced given the dramatic slowdown their companies are seeing. Everyone is upset this health crisis took place and no one is happy about the repercussions we are currently facing as a result of it.

When thinking about some of the reasons this health pandemic has gone viral it’s easy to simply just think the reason relates to the hundreds of countries and billions of people the virus has impacted. That's true, but what about the reasons and moments that are underpinning this virality? For marketers out there trying to create viral campaigns or entrepreneurs trying to start viral businesses, I think there are deeper lessons to be learned which can be taken away from this WHEN GOING VIRAL SUCKS story.

Below is an analysis of the four reasons why the coronavirus has gotten as wild as it has, and some lessons learned that people can take away from them.

Meme comparing Corona Beer to Coronavirus

1. Catchy Relatable Name --> Whenever people around the world hear the word "Corona" they immediately think about the Mexican beer company Corona Beer. The COVID-19 virus has been consistently referred to as the Coronavirus. As a result, it was an easily relatable name for people to associate this scary virus with. The relatability of the name "Corona Beer" with "Coronavirus" then resulted in different comparisons being made between the two. For instance, think about the thousands of humorous memes that have been created and shared virally online with people promoting the spread of the virus. The relatability of this term “coronavirus” to one of the most popular consumer brands in the world can't be ignored. In the world of branding, coming up with a catchy name people can relate to is crucial, and so although the name of this virus has existed for decades in the medical field, the correlation to one of the most popular beers in the world I believe was a contributing factor to why this story initially went viral.  

2. NBA Suspension Bombshell --> On March 12th, 2020 the NBA decided to suspend its season indefinitely after one of it's most talented players 7 foot center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz had contracted the coronavirus. When this decision was made by commissioner Adam Silver, it literally felt like the entire United States froze in its tracks. Arguably the most popular sport during the months of November through June was all of a sudden suspended for a reason that no one ever could have seen coming. Immediately after this decision was made, it felt like everyone from the government, to the general public, immediately started taking this pandemic more seriously. All of a sudden something that people loved was taken away from them during one of the most competitive, evenly balanced and popular seasons of recent memory. For businesses the viral takeaway to be mindful of is the power of bombshell type moments. Bombshell updates can play a major role in anything going viral whether that's a new product release or a new product issue. When you inform your customers of major bombshell updates you need to be mindful of what the positive and negative ramifications of that news can have on your business.

3. Local / National News Media Coverage -->  The Coronavirus has infiltrated the national and local news media at astonishing proportions. You can't turn on local or national news right now without the broadcast being at least 75% towards Coronavirus. This kind of coverage is fueling the viral spread of this story because people literally can't avoid it. Every television channel you turn on is covering the latest updates of the coronavirus and every newspaper page you flip is highlighting the same updates. This health crisis has also caused a financial crisis globally which is now forcing other niche business news stations such as CNBC to cover the story non-stop. The deep intertwining of this health crisis causing a sharp decline in the stock market now forces these specialized news stations to cover the coronavirus as well.  Although people who know me well are familiar with my extreme LOVE/HATE relationship that I have with the mainstream news media covering silly and unimportant news stories, this kind of coverage of coronavirus has felt warranted and less biased than typical news broadcasts. When trying to launch a viral campaign it’s important to remember how important earned media and press coverage can contribute to the initial and sustained viral effect your campaign can have.

Concerned husband and wife about coronavirus

4. Emotional Alarms Triggered -->  People care deeply about their health and when a virus is looming that could jeopardize your health the alarms in people's minds go off. People begin getting concerned that the virus can impact them, their loved ones and potentially result in casualties for people in their close network. If you've followed the "When Going Viral" blog you'll know how strongly we feel about how emotions can contribute to stories going viral. In this case the emotions people are feeling are emotions such as concern, sadness, unknown, surreal, as well as many others. These kinds of emotions are creating a fear factor inside of people that is causing a stimulating effect and resulting in people wanting to consume the coronavirus topic as much as possible. It feels like people won't stop talking about the coronavirus until any one of these emotions mentioned begin to feel at ease. For people in the marketing or business world, If you're trying to go viral you want to make sure either your product or campaign directly stimulates a strong emotion in people. If you're able to generate major emotional responses from people based on whatever it is you are doing you could have some of the pre-conditions needed to create a viral moment.

During these troubling, scary, and unprecedented times, our hope is that people will be able to dig deep, stick together and come out stronger than ever once this virus passes. Although this is a WHEN GOING VIRAL SUCKS story there are some other positive viral stories that are emerging in relation to coronavirus about people showing extreme acts of kindness and we are very excited to see this. We hope some of the lessons learned analyzed above can assist you in creating upcoming viral campaigns while also staying safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic. 

POPULARITY EXPLOSION OF THE HOVERBOARD [PART 1: HOW IT WENT VIRAL] - Published by Silicon.NYC

Viral marketing is a daring strategy that can yield extremely potent results for a company that produces something revolutionary. As a serial entrepreneur, I’ve had success with viral marketing, and have faced the challenges that it can bring.

HOW WE WENT VIRAL

Back in Fall 2014 our team had discovered an interesting new product in China and at this point in time no one was really even sure what to call the device. When we initially brought some units back from China into the United States it was apparent early on that this device was going to be a hit as people’s jaws dropped when they would see us riding one.

Initially we planned on selling the units wholesale to various larger retail stores throughout 2015 and especially for the holiday season. We were under the expectations that we would be one of a handful of other companies re-selling this device since we were lucky enough to discover it very early on. But our strategy changed rather quickly once we started to see the mass appeal of the product for celebrities.

During the course of 2015, there was one product, the Hoverboard, that captivated the entire world on a daily basis. This once innocent (eventually notorious) two wheeled device was appearing in every media publication, news outlet, and government press release for all sorts of positive and negative reasons. One of the initial massive forums where the viral success of the Hoverboard can be attributed to was The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

The Tonight Show has always been famous for its curtain call introductions, which introduces the special guests featured on each episode while they are standing behind the massive blue curtain while the live band plays the different jingles and tunes as the crowd gets hyped for the celebrity to appear. In May 2015, one of these curtain call introductions was just a little more special than the standard “wave hello to the audience and sit in your seat next to Jimmy Fallon.”

Many of you probably know who Jamie Foxx is and, let’s be honest, that guy has always known how to make a grand entrance. In his most recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, his curtain call introduction was epic. In front of a crowd full of America’s finest Marines, Jamie rode onto the stage on a Hoverboard. At the time of the show in early spring 2015, no one in the audience (including Jimmy) even knew what the hell a Hoverboard even was or even seen one before.

First it was Jimmy asking Jamie,  "Hey Jamie what are you doing, and what the hell is that?"

That was then was followed by Jamie name dropping our company on national television. Finally, Jimmy went ahead and got on the Hoverboard and tried it out for himself!

Millions of people around the world saw the skit that night and plenty of other celebrities did as well. The following morning our email inboxes were stuffed and phone lines were ringing off the hook. Hundreds of customers and more big name celebrities were reaching out to our company asking to promote our product similarly to what Jamie Foxx did.

Seeing this kind of demand, direct outreach, and real desperation for our product proved to our team two things.

Our viral marketing strategy was working.

Continuing to work with Hollywood celebrities was the right path to continue down.

When people like Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Wiz Khalifa started asking for our product, we decided to give them one for free. We did this in exchange for their support and promotion across all their major social media channels so that our brand name could continue to lead the Hoverboard market forward. We knew that competitors wanted our market share, so keeping our brand name relevant was a must.

This worked out brilliantly for us. Soon, these new celebrities along with at least 30 others were regularly promoting or product and, specifically, our brand. All of a sudden we were just two months in from our launch and we had already eclipsed 7 figures in sales, had all the major mass media publications reaching out to us for a story, and had powerhouse programs like Shark Tank asking us to apply for their show with our product. Even Kendall Jenner, who has been widely successful by promoting brands, used our Hoverboard on her Instagram video.

With all this promotion we felt like we were on top of the startup world. We had viral marketing buzz, tens of thousands in daily sales, and A-list celebrity endorsements. What could wrong?

Well, shortly after our viral launch we started to notice some other competitor Hoverboard companies sporadically popping up on the web. Recognizing this, but understanding that we had to stay focused on our own viral company, we decided to continue moving as quickly as we could in order to stay ahead of the competition. As a result we continued to work with A-list celebrities who could generate maximum exposure for us.

GOING VIRAL HAS ITS DRAWBACKS…

Going full steam ahead with this strategy turned out to be one of the first major mistakes we could’ve made. We started noticing very quickly that this maximum exposure was creating massive catch 22s for our business. It also resulted in serious and complex problems arising for the industry as a whole to have to solve, but yet had no real control in actually solving.

Viral marketing made us, and our great success can be attributed to it. But, we learned that it wasn’t necessarily the correct strategy for sustained growth. If you believe that viral marketing may be the correct strategy for your business, knowing the positives and negatives of the strategy are critical. Use it for as long as it is reasonable to do so, then shift your marketing priorities towards long-term and sustained growth.

Stay tuned for Part 2, on Why Going Viral Sucks…

Big thanks to the team over a Silicon.NYC for allowing me to begin contributing to their publication. This was my first article published on their site and you can definitely check out this story and plenty more other exciting technology oriented stories over at Silicon.NYC.

Top 3 Viral Predictions For Each Candidate Before Tonight's Debate

With tonight's debate set to take place less than 12 hours from now, one of the million dollar questions many pundits are pondering is, “What are the news headlines going to read tomorrow?” There is no doubt, going to be at least one if not multiple moments that characterize tonight's debate and either candidate could be liable for sparking that moment. 

In today’s post we’re going to try predicting three viral moments that we’ll end up hearing about non-stop tomorrow in the media. Two of these viral predictions will be a negative outcome for the candidate (sucks moment) and one will be a positive outcome for the candidate (works moment).

Let’s start with Hillary Clinton:

1. Email Interrogation — there is no way that the email scandal that has haunted Hillary over the last year of campaigning isn’t brought up. If Hillary finds herself getting caught up in a 3–5 question interrogation tonight it could mean big trouble. For instance we could have not only the moderator Lester Holt questioning her on this subject, but Donald Trump getting in his own personal email jabs. If this ends up happening, I get the sense Hillary will have a difficult time escaping the debate with a real victory neither in the eyes of voters or the press. (When Going Viral Sucks Moment)

2. Extra Aggressive “Comebacks” —To date I have yet to see Hillary look slick or sharp in her verbal attacks of Donald Trump. I just don’t think this is a strength of hers and nor does it need to be. This weakness (in my opinion) however can turn into a viral nightmare for her if she decides to try and excel in this department and continuously try attacking Trump. Taking this approach I believe would irritate Trump enough to whip out some of his own aggressive “comebacks” which we’ve heard to date and some new attacks in his “bag of tricks” such as going down the Monica Lewinsky path. If this takes place it just gives Clinton one more miserable topic/scandal she needs to focus on, and one that surely the press will be covering in full swarm tomorrow. (When Going Viral Sucks Moment)

3. Depth Versus Width On Policy — Hillary has a “Deeper” understanding of governmental functions, checks and balances, U.S. history, and many other subjects that future Presidents need to have real foundational knowledgeable on. If she sticks to this strength of hers and is able to clearly communicate the depth of this knowledge over Trump she can set herself up to look amazing tomorrow in the news headlines. If she can take it one step further and while communicating her knowledge, simultaneously demonstrate the lack of depth/knowledge Trump has on some of these mandatory presidential subjects it could turn into an embarrassing moment for Trump. This embarrassing moment for Trump could then be one that scares voters away from him and into Hillary’s corner and she’ll be labeled as the clear winner of the debate. (When Going Viral Works Moment)

And of course we can’t forget about Donald Trump:

1. Crosses The Line — if Donald decides to push the envelope a bit further than it should be with hundreds of millions of people watching him it could turn out disastrous. The Republican nominee has become super popular with his base and notorious amongst the general public for his various sound-bites which many times have been ethnically, or racially driven and have negative contexts associated with them. These sound bites are a large reason for why Trump has gotten as far as he has. However if he crosses the line in one of his statements there will be no way in which the media can ignore it and all the post debate press coverage will be zooming in on this one potentially derogatory statement. (When Going Viral Sucks Moment)

2. Tries To Play Moderator — This is the first time Trump will be partaking in a debate with only one other prospective candidate. As a result that might get very uncomfortable for him. We all know that Trump likes to have control over everything he does and therefore as a way to divert attention away from him, we could easily see Trump try and grill Hillary with his own questions and ignore those which Lester Holt asks of him. He might also try and flip questions back on Lester that he is uncomfortable answering. This flip flopping might be the worse way for things to come full circle for Donald and bite him in the butt. This because over the last year he has consistently been labeled as a flip flopper candidate on important issues. Showcasing his unease with answering questions directed at him and probing Hillary or Lester with his own questions will turn into all the wrong reasons for him to be receiving attention in tomorrow’s headlines. (When Going Viral Sucks Moment)

3. Specifics Over Soundbites — One of the main criticisms of Trump over the last year of his campaign has been his lack of specific details on different issues. If he embraces tonight's opportunity to reveal legitimate details on his plans in front of millions of Americans, he could give himself the most realistic chance yet to take down this election. With under six weeks left until the election, people could embrace him for his planned tactic of “Saving the best for last.” If he can communicate real details, and real specifics, to the real problems facing America, it will give the American public a new reason to respect him and it would allow Donald Trump to flourish all the way up until election day. (When Going Viral Works Moment)

 

Keeping Up With Kendall Jenner: AKA Tips For Working With Influencers

Kendall Jenner's First Video Riding A Hoverboard

Launching products is fun but creating a movement, as I learned, is an exhilarating and invaluable experience. In 2015 I played a prominent role in introducing the world to the hoverboard giving me the opportunity to work alongside a range of celebrities, athletes, and musicians. I also had the chance to work with an emerging breed of social media influencers who are easily just as effective at producing results for companies. In fact it was predominantly a result of these different influencer promotional campaigns why our company and our Hoverboard became the number one selling holiday gift of 2015.

Influencer marketing has become a hot button topic in the world of how to conduct viral marketing campaigns. Not only does everyone want to work with influencers but the market has become flooded with people trying to become their own influencer in the space or craft they specialize in. Considering how crowded the the influencer landscape has gotten can make things quite confusing to navigate.

In my experience working with celebrities & influencers there were plenty of lessons to be learned. Below I’ll share a few tips on how your company can work with influencers effectively and gain some traction with their help.

1. Plan ahead: You and your team should have a allocation of how much product you are willing to gift to influencers. This number varies depending on a variety of factors but ultimately it comes down to how much you’re able to produce and invest in this type of marketing. It is imperative that you create an allocation plan and stick to it. Otherwise you could run the risk of running out of inventory quicker than you expected. All of a sudden Bieber’s asking you for not one hoverboard but five. And you’re retrofitting the entire Kardashian family with hoverboards.

2. Expect the unexpected: Going somewhat in tandem with number one would be making sure your company has enough inventory on hand prior to working with celebrities. Since many of the celebrities live, party, and co-exist within the same circles it's very easy to have one celebrity endorsement of your product lead to multiple others. As a result if your company isn't prepared to handle that rush of influencers asking for your product, while simultaneously fulfilling all the orders that are coming from average customers who are purchasing your device, you are doomed!

3. Negotiate your engagement: We found that one post from a celebrity with a large following is not likely going to generate a huge sales spike for your business. Of course there are exceptions to this statement such as your product being perfectly in line with this celebrities audience. Therefore establishing a partnership with depth that requires multiple posts from this celebrity will help you obtain awareness, as opposed to just one. Consistency can lead to authenticity which makes an audience more likely to become interested in the product.

4. Free product goes a long way: When you have a hot “NEED TO HAVE” product simply gifting to celebrities can oftentimes get you whatever kind of promotion you desire. With the Hoverboard it was a must have item for every celebrity. Therefore we were able to go a long way simply gifting away product in exchange for promotion as opposed to having to pay them thousands of dollars while also gifting them product.

5. Treat them like people: Although Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber are superstars believe it or not they are more down to earth than you could imagine. They are normal humans just like you and I. They like the same activities and things that ordinary people enjoy, they just have millions more people watching them do these activities. The quicker you realize this when trying to work with influencers and as a result communicate with them in the same manner you would communicate with your own business partners and friends the more authentic you will look in their eyes and the more willing they will be to work with you.

Ultimately I'm a big proponent of working with influencers and, if it makes sense for your company, you’ll want to make it a part of your marketing plan. Hopefully some of these tips can allow your company to conduct influencer marketing in the most mutually beneficial manner for you and the influencer. 

Touch People's Hearts - One Way To Go Viral For All The Right Reasons

Travis Rudolph eating lunch with autistic middle schooler Bo Paske

Too often the corporate mass media promotes senseless stories that not only go viral but literally take up the airwaves for weeks. You know, those absurd stories that make your head want to explode like the infamous Balloon Boy and Octomom from a few years ago that you might remember? These absurd stories clog the airwaves so frequently that it’s such a relief when you finally get to see the mainstream media report on a positive, and heartwarming story that deservedly so, causes viral disruption around the world. 

This past Thursday I became inspired by one of these stories and in my opinion this story was a “When Going Viral Works” moment. This was a story that was being communicated to millions of people overnight for all the right reasons. It wasn’t just the end result of this heartfelt story that inspired me, but as some readers might be able to guess it was the different reasons why the story went viral that motivated me to write today’s post. As this story showed sometimes the reasons for virality are so subtle, simple, and literally elementary that you would never think these kind of simplistic moves could make so much positive noise in the world. However sometimes it is these characteristics of ones actions that are the most effective and influential means for creating viral disruption. 

The story I’m referring to happened last Tuesday with a collegiate athlete from Florida State University. Star football player and Wide Receiver Travis Rudolph made an autistic child’s dream come true in the most spontaneous unplanned manner possible. Travis decided to join local middle schooler named “Bo Paske” for lunch in the cafeteria after seeing first hand and learning that the autistic youngster was frequently left sitting alone with no friends by his side to talk to. 

Even Travis didn’t realize how this simple and kind gesture of his (for one of his youngest fans) would have virally materialized. Travis was quoted by the Washington Post saying, “I didn’t even recognize that it would be this big, It just became really viral, and I just wanted it to become aware that everyone is the same, and one man can make a difference.”

Pretty understandable to see where Travis is coming from. I mean why would anyone think that such a small simple action could produce such pronounced results? Let’s take a closer look and try understanding the reasons for why this story went as viral as it did!:

1. Simplicity: how often do you hear the phrase “the more simple the better?” I imagine plenty of times and when it comes to making something go viral this statement surely applies. When you want to see something resonate and grow with the public from a viral marketing standpoint you can’t have this “something” be confusing for people to understand. The public has to “get it” instantly and in this case the action of having lunch with a lonely autistic child was something that people instantly understood and appreciated. 
2. Everyone Can Relate To It: a majority of people on the planet grew up and went to some sort of elementary school. This same majority of people also had lunch time in the cafeteria while attending elementary school. This 60 minute period which was usually combined with recess, holds a special place in people’s hearts even as you enter adulthood. When you have a story that everyone can relate to personally, the odds of the story going viral increases dramatically. As a result exponentially more people are able to relate to the story and think back to their own childhood days of eating lunch in the cafeteria, and this gives you a much larger population of people to have the story resonate with.
3. Feel Good: this kind of story makes people feel very good inside and it also makes the public as a whole feel hopeful. See when people’s emotions get involved for the better, the chances of there being a viral effect increases. If you feel good about a story the odds of you wanting to share this story with your friends and family increases so that they can experience this same heartfelt feeling as you did. Positive stories usually have a much greater chance of gaining traction and going viral, over negative stories and this example clearly displays that.
4. Local Star Player: this entire unplanned event took place at a local middle school near Florida State University. Travis Rudolph is a superstar in that geographic area of Florida near the state capital Tallahassee. Although Travis wasn’t a nationally recognized figure last week, the fact that this event took place near Florida State University, gave the story a larger foundation for viral traction to be catapulted off of. 
5. Authenticity: this action by Travis was unscripted and as he even said himself he had no idea people were taking pictures of him eating lunch with Bo. When it’s easy recognizable how organic ones actions are as opposed to looking completely scripted the chances of this action going viral increases because people can see that authenticity. Usually scripted actions can easily be depicted and as a result people will usually be less willing to want to share a story or piece of content that seems fake.

Many of the reasons this story went viral as explained above I experienced first hand with my former Hoverboard company. For example when it came to authenticity, it was very apparent how organic the love for the Hoverboard product was when people rode one. There was no scripting the smiles, joy, and fun millions of people were having when they rode a Hoverboard and as a result millions of other people wanted to experience that same feeling. 

I think this story in particular can demonstrate to entrepreneurs that oftentimes creating more simple marketing campaigns for your company can end up producing the largest results. If young entrepreneurs can keep in mind some of the concepts and strategies above they should be able to see some of their own companies go viral, but for all the right reasons!