First, the disclaimer: I’m a huge Blue Man Group fan. That said, as a small business marketing consultant I’m curious about all things marketing. So, when I received an email from BMG with a link to their new video on funnyordie.com, I clicked through to watch.
Funny video. Then I noticed an ad on the page to “Trick your pals with the ultimate online gag” by the BMG. I clicked, was taken to another page on funnyordie.com and the BMG appear over the page, stare at you, whitewash the page and then squeegee it clean. Pretty cool. Down below you can try it yourself.
Then, of course, a window comes up giving you the chance to “trick your pals!” You can give it any URL and an email address and it will send that person an email with your message and a tiny URL link.
Here’s what the email and the link look like:
Here’s what the page looks like:
Here’s what I like about the campaign:
It’s well executed.
First, they don’t just say “Hey, here’s this cool gag, send it to your friends to promote our product.” They give you something first: a funny video. The page happens to have an ad for what they want you to do. Basically, we’ll entertain you, then ask for your help. Sort of a double opt-in. This is unique, at least to the viral campaigns I’ve seen lately, and I think a smart move.
It let’s you personalize the subject line and message in the email that is sent. My subject line: check this out. My message: I made a change to my home page. Let me know what you think. The email comes from you and has a tinyURL, so nothing is given away.
What happens is very consistent with the brand.
It’s not a monkey holding a Bud-Lite or a skateboarding dog wearing your T-shirt. Blue Man Group surprises you, but they do what they do. I believe this is very important to be successful. I’ve seen way too many viral campaigns that go viral, but are soon forgotten. Why? They weren’t consistent: the hook or gag that made them go viral had nothing to do with the product.
Will this be successful? I don’t know. I reverse-engineered the tinyURL, Googled the root address and found that I was the 56th person to amaze my friends. This was about 30 minutes after receiving the email. So, I don’t think it will be gigantic, viral-wise, but I’d bet it does the brand some good.
