Man vs. Technology vs. Viral Marketing

"Technology is shifting so quickly, chasing it is like trying to jump on a speeding merry-go-round" 

- Groundswell, p. 67

As I was reading Groundswell, this was a statement that caught my eye and although it doesn't pertain to viral marketing, in my mind it still ties into the idea of what viral marketing is and how it's becoming a more popular tool in media campaigns. 

To me, this form of social media seems to be taking the world -- if not just companies and the PR people who work for them -- by storm and is soon enough going to be that "next big thing." Everyone wants their campaign to go viral these days and in a way, it reminds me of the "new phone craze," as we'll call it. This includes myself, without a doubt. I like to describe the "new phone craze" as needing to equip oneself with the newest and best mobile technology as soon as it's made available, despite the fact the cell phone one may have now is already perfectly capable for calling, texting and Internet access. The need is based solely on the fact this new phone is shiny and maybe faster and "everyone" is doing it. For example, everyone wants an iPhone and those who already have one want an iPhone 4. However, Apple is more than likely releasing the iPhone 5, which will start the craze all over all and those who can will switch and those who can't because they just got their new iPhone, will stay one step behind the cell phone times.

What's the point of the comparison? It's simple. Just like the quote says at the beginning of this post, technology constantly changes and while everyone wants the newest and the best of the best, we can't always have it. In the same way, social media is constantly changing and while we try to keep up with the improvements to the best of our abilities, some will always be left behind. I think, the same can be said about viral marketing. Everyone wants to do it, but not everyone can. Like New Influencers and New Styles for Marketing and PR both pointed out, you can't make a campaign go viral. You can create something with the intent for that to happen, but the chances lie within how well said campaign reaches the targeted audience and if it takes off from there. The companies that understand this will mostly likely be successful and continue to follow the ever-changing path of social media, but the ones who continue to try forcing viral campaigns will ultimately be left behind in technology's dust.