Best Western IAKI chose to do viral marketing for branding purposes. Entertainment, content, quality and sharing the goals, we see the response of IAKI. Sandro Marchetti, IAKI CEO, tells us the strengths of the approach.

What is the viral marketing project?

Best Western’s need was to spread online a viral content capable, through spontaneous word of mouth, to convey its values in an indirect way and not overtly commercial, and support such a position which is one of the latest in the industry. The choice fell on a viral video that IAKI chose to make interactive, turning it into a generator of customized dedications to friends, choosing from five different themes conveyed through a microsite and a Facebook application.

A clear choice of communication, then.

Yes. The idea was to not rely solely on the creative appeal of the video, for its viralization, but to create the most fertile conditions around for its spread. That meant not only to do viral marketing, but to built around a real brand community through Facebook marketing as well. In the case of the mini-site, videos can be shared via email and social network; on Facebook, the possibilities grow even more through the notifications of the application (reaching not only the recipients of the video, but also the larger network of their contacts, creating a continuous buzz).

How is the video customized?

It ‘s very simple. The users enter their name, choose and edit a picture of a friend, select the theme for their dedication and forward the video (on Facebook we have also added two features that create synergy with the media: the ability to select the photos directly from those recipient of the video and a signaling function for friends close to their birthday, fir the theme of “Happy Birthday”). The recipient receives a video with a well-developed web design: an intriguing journey in first person, on a car, through a city where mysteriously, shot by shot, on a billboard, a newspaper, a wall, and so on, his face and some posts dedicated to him appear; until we find out in the end, surprisingly, that he himself was driving the car. In the middle of a world tailored on himself, even if only for two minutes: exactly how a Best Western customer should feel like. Naked and pure branding.

A project of viral marketing like this also needs some support from communication?

Let’s say that the results are immeasurably better and faster. We’ve done buzz marketing by spreading news about the project online, we’ve recruited bloggers to talk about the viral idea and IAKI digital team thoroughly managed a seeding activity. Regarding Facebook we then added a campaign to display adv rail and integrated into a broader strategy for social media marketing to a digital PR activity.