What is the Difference Between Viral Marketing and Conventional Marketing?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between viral marketing and conventional marketing lies in the approach, reach, and measurement. Here are the key differences between the two:
Viral Marketing:
- Uses social media, email, and other online platforms to spread marketing messages quickly and widely.
- Relies on social sharing and word-of-mouth to increase visibility and reach.
- Has the potential for wide reach, faster and exponential growth, and lower costs.
- Builds brand awareness, but the effectiveness of the campaign is hard to measure.
- Can be unpredictable, as it depends on users' willingness to share the content.
Conventional Marketing:
- Uses traditional channels such as television, radio, billboards, and print media.
- Targeted and delivers more predictable results.
- Establishes credibility and helps increase sales over time.
- More controlled and controllable in terms of message integrity.
In conclusion, the choice between viral marketing and conventional marketing depends on the specific needs and goals of a campaign. Viral marketing can be effective in generating initial buzz and interest, while conventional marketing can help establish credibility and increase sales over time. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, and the effectiveness of each can depend on various factors.
Comparative Table: Viral Marketing vs Conventional Marketing
Here is a table comparing the differences between viral marketing and conventional marketing:
| Feature | Viral Marketing | Conventional Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rapid growth and exponential reach through word-of-mouth and sharing on social media and the internet | Targeted reach and more established channels like television, radio, billboards |
| Reach | International, uncontrollable, and unpredictable | Local, national, or regional, targeted, and controllable |
| Cost | Lower costs, often with little or no budget | Higher costs due to use of established channels |
| Control | Uncontrollable, relies on consumers sharing the message | Controlled, managed by the marketer |
| Risk | High risk due to the unpredictable nature of viral marketing | Lower risk compared to viral marketing |
| Measurement | Difficult to measure the success of viral marketing campaigns | Easier to measure the success of conventional marketing campaigns |
| Examples | Hotmail's early viral marketing and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge | Television commercials, radio ads, and billboards |
In summary, viral marketing aims for rapid growth and exponential reach through word-of-mouth and sharing on social media and the internet, while conventional marketing focuses on targeted reach and more established channels. Viral marketing has lower costs and is uncontrollable, whereas conventional marketing has higher costs and is controlled by the marketer. The risk is higher with viral marketing due to its unpredictable nature, and it is more difficult to measure the success of viral marketing campaigns compared to conventional marketing campaigns.
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