As we wait for the results of our first viral marketing case study, here’s another intersting scenario to whet your viral marketing chops…

Many of you remember the hype and hoopla generated back in Novemeber from the My Super Proposal website, a true gem of viral marketing, and definitely a case-in-point. Today we return to the story, digging in a little deeper and unveiling some of the mechanics that have kept this engine revving for the past three months.

First, the history:

My Super Proposal is a blog promotion project with the goal of aqcuiring major advertiser sponsorship for a televised Super Bowl wedding proposal. 2 mil was the goal. Though all advertiser spots have since been occupied, and though a total 85 thousand to date is a far cry from needed funds, Super Guy is definitely on to something. (The 85K is set to be donated to a local childrens hospital.)

Let’s take a snap shot look at some of visibility this project has received, just to illustrate the point:

An excerpt from Equitymind ’s blog:

To sum all of the exposure up, here is a list of media and press that has happened to date:

Radio Interviews and Coverage:

Radio Station in Virginia (prior to my involvement - no call station info)
Radio Station in California (prior to my involvement)
107.5 The River, radio station in Nashville
710 KIRO Newsradio The Ron & Don Show, Seattle.
KKND - New Orleans
STAR 94 Radio in Atlanta
Saint Louis morning drive time talk show
Ken and Tammy Show on WOXL in Asheville NC
WRMF South Florida
Howard Stern Show
Daily Search Cast
94.3 FOX Northern Michagan
KROQ Los Angeles Kevin and Bean show

Newpaper and Online Media Coverage:

AdRants
AdJab
AdAge
AdAge Garfield: The Blog
New York Post
Netscape
Media Buyer Planner
MediaPost
MarketingProfs Daily Fix
Entrepreneur.com Blog
Business 2.0 Blog
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
ABC News / ESPN Sports
ESPN - The Magazine
Chicago Tribune
ABC News - GMA

International Media Coverage:

Sweden
Denmark
Norway
Mexico
Spain

Television Coverage:

Fox News (National - on a Sunday afternoon)
MSNBC
Good Morning America

How did this thing take off so fast, you ask?

We say it boils down to a basic tenet of viral marketing, (and also a fortune I keep taped on my monitor) that reads: “Focus your message on the receiver. Ignore yourself.”

This is true because viral marketers depend on their audience to generate hype, and to spread the good word. Given the very nature of this project, (blog slash internet related) its appeal was greatest to those working in the industry - people whos lively hoods depend on keeping up with subjects and stories just like this one. And who but internet marketers have the experience, expertise and rolodex to get the ball rolling? Smart move, Super Guy. But don’t take our word for it… see what internet marketers themselves had to say…

It’s been awhile since my plea to help promote ‘J.P.’ in his quest for a 30 second commercial spot during next February’s Super Bowl game in order to propose to his girlfriend so its time for a long overdue update…

…The intial blogosphere bang was first launched by Danny, Lee, David, Jeremy, Liane and many more and followed up by a press release by Greg Jarboe of SEO-PR. Although we had some initial coverage before my involvement, the combined efforts led to the ‘tipping point’ - an article written by Abbey Klaassen of AdAge Magazine…

Clearly the way to be successful with a viral marketing campaign is tailoring your appeal to the right audience. Just as with the ‘Kopi Luwak Coffee‘ scenario, those most interested would ofcourse be avid coffee drinkers like myself, and, whaddya know, his story got coverage on our blog. Yeah.

My Super Proposal : Stats

Incoming links from other blogs and websites: (according to Yahoo!) 407

Number of blogs tagged with ’super bowl proposal’: according to technorati 16

Number of blogs with the headline ’super bowl proposal’: 37

The last two numbers may not seem that impressive, but considering the readershipof each blog and the reach it extended towards the main stream media… we think these numberscontain quite a bit a viral marketing juice, indeed.

For more on the story and to follow progress, see J.P.’s progress page. And, as usual, we want to know what you think. Not the firsat you’ve heard of “Super J.P?” Disagree with our ‘basic tenet of viral marketing?” We welcome your feedback!

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 25th, 2007 at 2:27 pm and is filed under General, Driving Traffic, Link Building, Social Media & Other Marketing Concepts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.