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Holtz Communications + Technology

Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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Let it leak

Viral marketing via peer-to-peer isn’t new, but it may have just taken a big step. I was first introduced to the idea when Priceline posted a TV commercial to the file-sharing networks before it aired on TV. This was the ad in which spokesman William Shatner learned he was being replaced by Leonard Nimoy. It was funny and unexpected, and it spread quickly thanks to its availability on Kaaza and other P2P services.

Similar tactics have been employed pretty regularly since then. In the UK, an “unauthorized” TV commercial of a Ford decapitating a cat captured eyeballs when it was discovered in the P2P space. Even Apple has made iTunes tracks available for free in order to spark interest in new musicians.

But the leak of the pilot episode of the highly anticipated BBC series Doctor Who takes the idea of viral advertising to a new level. The appearance of the 45-minute episode was initially thought to be unauthorized, but Wired is reporting that it may have been intentional. Giving fans access to the first episode can only help. The fan base will spread it to others and anticipation of subsequent episodes should grow.

All of which is great for advertising, but are there implications for PR? I think so. Video news releases (VNRs) are the first thing to jump to mind. Assuming the VNR is compelling and interesting, is relevant to an audience, and is clearly labeled a VNR, it could gain an audience online that exceeds that of TV news operations that download it; at the very least, the audience will be more targeted.

With Bitorrent and other technologies accelerating downloads and Internet users increasingly comfortable in the P2P world, the PR profession should start looking at these alternative forms of getting the word out.

03/16/05 | 1 Comment | Let it leak

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