[viral campaign, 1st Avenue & 3rd Street, Minneapolis]

In an attempt to quantify viral ideas or campaigns, blog author Seth Godin breaks down the fundamentals of a viral idea. In his post Seth begins by identifying the characteristics of a viral idea from the point of view of the message sender and receiver.

No one "sends" an idea unless:
a. they understand it
b. they want it to spread
c. they believe that spreading it will enhance their power
d. the effort necessary to send the idea is less than the benefits

No one "gets" an idea unless:
a. the first impression demands further investigation
b. they already understand the foundation ideas necessary to get the new idea
c. they trust or respect the sender enough to invest the time

Seth goes on to list some key components of a viral idea or campaign:
1. ideas never spread because they are important to the sender
2. if the idea is easy to swallow, tempting and complete, it's a lot more likely to get a good start
3. a key element in the spread of ideas is their visual element or stylistic approach

Using Seth's points as a foundation we can analyze the image above. This banner can be found around the Twin Cities in various urban locations, this one in particular is located in the warehouse district of downtown. The campaign does have a stylistic element with what appears to be hand drawn type and stylized letters. The message on the banner is intriguing, it leaves you wondering "have I been shampoozled?" and "what the heck is shampoozle?". Since there is no identifying company information you assume you will have to watch the space until the meaning of shampoozle is revealed. It also forces you to search the media to draw a link between a new product launch and the shampoolze banner.

Seth Godin's Blog: What makes an idea viral?

tags: catalyst studios, viral