Viral Ad Research

Viral ads are ads that advertise films in unconventional ways. The most common strategy used with viral ads is the internet. Viral ads on the internet can generate mass coverage and popularity. Film companies use this as a creative way to advertise their upcoming releases. The advantage of using the internet is that using conventional posters and Television adverts, the ads are stationary and can only be seen if you are in close proximity to the poster (eg. in a town centre) or a television set. By using the internet, the ads for the film can be seen by anyone who has an internet connection. This is beneficial because in the modern age, most western countries have a large population with smart phones that have mobile internet. Internet ad campaigns are also very effective at attracting the younger generation as they are the ones who use the internet the most for recreational purposes. Viral advertising is also useful because its cheap. You only have to make one copy of a digital poster or one video/trailer and then all you have to do is post it online, printing massive amounts of posters is expensive, and smaller independent companies can use this to advertise their films to a wider audience. Another advantage is that once you put something on the internet, you never have to take it down so ad will stay there forever, which cold attract viewers years after the films release.

Here is the viral ad for the low-budget film Devil's Due which has gained over 50 million views:



Viral ads aren't just used on the internet though, here is district 9's use of clever posters saying "Humans Only" around major cities:

Here is a link to the article which contains these two examples and more successful viral ad campaigns:
http://www.cheatsheet.com/stocks/7-film-related-viral-marketing-campaigns-that-worked.html/?a=viewall