Richard Branson’s Gossip Mill, AKA Genius in Viral Marketing


October 20, 2014

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Success in viral marketing is a coveted accomplishment marketers have spent years worth of budgets attempting to attain. Although no one has quite figured out the perfect recipe for virality, we’ve all envied those well-known brands that seem to do it so seamlessly. So of course, if you know who Richard Branson is, the buzz he’s created in Chicago came as little to no surprise.

Rumors of a Virgin Hotel first began in 2011 . But it wasn’t until this past August when Virgin Group officially announced the opening of its first location. At a glance, it seems as though the company has focused its marketing on local Chicagoans, given the venue will be an excellent place not only to book events and hotel stays, but also to eat, drink, and see and be seen. The building, located at 203 N. Wabash in the city’s east Loop, has been visibly under construction since the summer and is covered with an incredibly eye-catching red wall.

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Word on the street is #VirginRumors are now very literally words on the street. See for yourself.

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The fundamentals of the awareness campaign is simple: Encourage (slightly ridiculous) rumors to swirl around the pre-opening of your new business concept. Tell your audience to use the hashtag #VirginRumors and win a free night at the hotel’s grand opening if his or her gossip is witty enough.

The campaign has been wildly successful among Chicagoans and its tourists, provoking a slew of wild ideas.

It’s a technique so unbearably simple yet astonishingly effective. Many marketers encourage brand interaction with a chance to win a prize, but few do in a way that’s both easy and engaging. Taking selfies or constructing videos take a lot more effort (relatively speaking) than typing up a ridiculously absurd 140-character idea.

The campaign has not only induced brand interaction, but also curiosity and excitement for the hotel’s opening.

Virgin Hotels is currently active on five key platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google+.

What are some other simple ways brands have created interaction, engagement, and awareness? What are some of the most simple viral campaigns you’ve witnessed? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

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is a strategist, speaker, educator, and author of Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World and Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. He is the Chief Brand Strategist at Brand Driven Digital, an educator at the University of Iowa, and host of the On Brand podcast. More about Nick.