Is viral marketing still the key to a brand’s success? What are the main elements that steer a social media marketing campaign towards a “viral” positioning? What are the strategies and techniques some of the brand marketers use to gain a vast reach and a wide exposure?
Just as many of us have been spectators of different wars, battles and rivalries amongst different people throughout history, we have also been witnesses to, what seems to be, the never ending battles between brands trying to reach the “king of the jungle” status. Naturally, the first battle that would come to mind is: Pepsi vs. Coke followed by McDonalds vs. Burger King. Though their marketing strategies are not entirely ethical, these competing brands have been able to sustain a high level of quality at affordable prices for their customers.
Not so long ago in the early 90’s, a surviving player was resurrected with a new and stronger image to present to the competitive world wide markets in the hardware/software technology field, the Mac, creating a new challenge for Microsoft and stirring up the debate: can Microsoft’s PC become replaceable after all those years? Could there really be a better alternative? Mac’s answer was: Definitely yes!
According to Apple reports, and for the second quarter of 2009, the company posted revenue of $8.16 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion, or $1.33 per diluted share. Gross margin was 36.4 percent, up from 32.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Timeline of Macintosh Models
But how? How was Mac able to grab and sustain the attention of many previous loyal Microsoft users?
When Mac made its comeback to the scene, not only did it provide solutions to current Microsoft PC problems, it also provided creative, out of the box viral marketing campaigns to spread the news about its uniqueness and why it is different. Furthermore, Mac was able to gain a high market share through a short period of time through personifying its ads, making them connect with the target audience and speak their language.
Let’s explore at the following examples:
