Pros & Cons of Social network-related viral marketing

OpenRice is a platform that allows reaching mass audience and those audiences are being targeted, because all of the audiences are want to get or share the information or comment of food or beverage restaurant in OpenRice. Therefore, OpenRice offer a place for all restaurants to target their customers. After that, generate viral marketing in OpenRice is also a cost effective way for every restaurants, because people are allow to share their opinions in OpenRice, if most of the people are generate a positive opinions of that restaurant, some of the media will be awarded and they will interest to promote that restaurant. So, it can save much of the promotional cost.

        In other way, viral marketing can be positive but also negative for a restaurant, it will be a good view for a restaurant, if most of the opinions is positive that shared by the people. However, some experienced customers will feel bad after enjoy their meal and they will share the negative opinion in OpenRice, if there are many people to share the negative opinions, the negative perception of that restaurant will be generate and transferred very fast, and most of the people will believe those negative opinions. Finally, a negative World-of-mouth will be create and it may affect the brand reputation of the restaurant.

The Pros and Cons of Flash Game Viral

The Pros and Cons of Flash Game Viral

Flash game viral on one hand could make benefit, but it also has its disadvantages in reality.

• Benefits

With Flash games viral marketing, the marketplace has started to change which allows small business to raise the degree of fame. In other words, restaurants can quickly and inexpensively add branded Flash games to their sites, and almost immediately increase their traffic and brand awareness.

• Drawbacks

Frankly speaking, it is not easy to capture public attention on playing the flash game. Restaurants' owners have to consider a flash game should be creative, interesting and challenging or with appropriate prizes afterwards, perhaps. To attain these objectives, restuarnsts not only have to spend money, but also need to have good ideas. If the game is not creative, "not creative" secondary association of the restaurants would thus be resulted.

Pros and Cons of Viral Video Campaign “Kicked out of Pizza Place”

The Pros and Cons of “Kicked out of Pizza Place”

Advantages 

• Save cost

On the above case “Kicked out of Pizza Place”, it is a creative and funny video clip by two guys. Viral video campaign is mostly free or low cost in viral marketing. The restaurant only needs to record a video and post it on internet in order to save cost for advertising.  

• Attracting viewers

Besides, it was providing entertainment to viewers during ordering the food and pizza delivery process. A man was ordered food in other three small pizza restaurants. There were different reposes by the boss of the restaurants in three locations. Consequently, it ensures the viewers keep eyeball and pay attention on the video.

•  Creating buzz & Reminding brand

 Also it is an effective way of creating a buzz and reminding the customers about the brand of restaurant ‘Pizza Hut’.

Disadvantages

• Dilute brand image

However, such acting not only unfair to other small restaurant, but also can damage and dilute brand of Pizza Hut restaurant. 

• More competition

Moreover, doing the malevolence or bad behavior in other restaurants may produce negative comments, and some competitors will enhance against the powerful viral video campaign in restaurant industry.

The Pros and Cons of guerrilla marketing

Advantages of guerrilla marketing

In this beverage example, it can catch the attention of passerby because it is a creative idea and match with the environment.  From the company perspective, it can create brand awareness so that increase brand value. This beverage example is easy to remember. Moreover, the idea is relatively low cost and reaches a large number of audience. It is a cost-effective way of viral marketing. This success example can attract new customers and retain existing customers. Therefore, it can increase the sales of this beverage company.

Disadvantages of guerrilla marketing

However, there are some disadvantages of this tactic of viral marketing. The print may be destroyed by competition and create negative comment. In this example, the brand name is small. If people see the photo in Facebook, they may not see the brand name clearly and ignore it.

Pro and Cons of using viral email marketing

Focus!

Pros

Viral Email Marketing lower costs and can increases profits related to business campaign. According to the above post case, email is FAST, personal, interactive and extremely effective in a short term. The viral effect spread quickly and the incentives encourage consumers to act.

Reduce Marketing Costs

Email marketing provides cost-saving benefits, such as:

No printing, mailing or media expenses
Response rate higher compare with direct mail or banner ads

Retention

Allows frequent customer contact, which translates into higher revenues. Customer acquisition costs average only $24 for email versus $82 for PR, $958 for print ads, and $1,457 for radio ads. (Source: Fiore & Collins)

Viral email marketing is a great way to promote and market your goods. However, you’ll have to make the campaign as innovative as possible if you want positive results.

Track the resultNumber of response and clicks that can check by statistics.

Cons

Although viral email marketing is fast to spread information, there are some problems. Here is the main issue:
Deliverability
According to some report, legitimate email servers averaged a delivery rate of 56%; twenty percent of the messages were rejected, and eight percent were filtered. An email marketing program must make sure that their program does not violate spam.

Privacy

Before send an email to consumer, company should ask for permission that they allow to receiving your company email. Provide opt-in and opt-out service for receivers.

Pros and Cons of Incentivised Viral Marketing

Since Happy Farm is one of the most popular applications in Facebook, it had cooperated with Minute Maid beverage of Coca Cola Company to conduct a successful viral marketing campaign.


The main advantage is cost efficiency and high possibility to get to a broader target market rapidly and it is generally trusted by many. Because there were some rewards involved, so the players were more willing to invite and refer their friends due to value-added for them. Furthermore, Minute Maid could enhance their brand awareness through this campaign, while the audience engagement was also enhance. This campaign could also convert the Happy Farm players to become physical Minute Maid beverage customers by offering the “Happy Farm coins”.


Unfortunately, viral marketing can be a bit tedious and subjective. It's so hard to pin down variables when the marketers try and prove ROI, so attributing sales growth or traffic increases due to viral marketing can be a stretch. Therefore, the marketers need to pay attention and monitor the opinions and feedbacks of the audience, otherwise it may drive away the customers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Viral Marketing

Advantages and Disadvantages of Viral Marketing:

We will discuss about advantages and disadvantages of viral marketing. 

Advantages:

The advantages of viral marketing service are high credibility, low costs, great reach, high efficiency and the opportunity to continuous promotion adjustments. The time and resources are easily available.

Viral marketing uses the network effect of the Internet so that the marketing messages can be reached mass audience rapidly and effectively. It is an effective online form since word-of-mouth communication is also known as ‘buzz marketing’. Once a buzz is created, even there are some incentives that are value-added for the audiences, so that they are more willing to forward the message to the others. They contacted more and more people and the chain goes on.

Disadvantages:

Viral marketing is a high-risk marketing communications technique, since it requires significant initial investment in the viral agent and selling. However, there is no guarantee that the campaign will ‘go viral’, in which case the investment will be wasted. Of course, although positive viral marketing can spread rapidly, negative sentiments about a company can be also spread. Besides, viral marketing indicates you to work in association with an unknown group, so chances of getting an unsolicited e-mail threats and the dilution of the brand and much more.

References:

1.  http://www.outsourcestrategies.com/blog/2007/05/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-viral marketing.html

2.  http://www.articlesbase.com/outsourcing-articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-viral-marketing-927147.html#ixzz1RlF4v1sf

3.  Textbooks: Chaffey, Ellis-Chadwick, Mayer and Johnston. (2009). Internet Marketing – Strategy, Implementation, and Practice, 4th edition, Prentice Hall, P. 556.