Viral marketing campaigns can catapult brands into the spotlight, fuel massive engagement, and turn casual viewers into loyal customers. Here, we’ll break down what makes a campaign go viral, highlight some standout examples, and share tips on how to up the odds of viral success.
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What is viral marketing?
A viral marketing campaign is one that spreads quickly and widely on the internet, relying on the audience to promote the brand over paid advertising.
While there is no step-by-step formula to make content go viral, it often involves leveraging existing social media trends and offering content that is attention-grabbing, stimulating, and unexpected. Consumers naturally want to share this type of content, racking up millions of views and shares and making the brand recognizable among the general public.
There are some obvious benefits of going viral, including increased visibility and brand awareness. These gains often translate into greater audience reach and media exposure in trade publications and national media outlets. Viral marketing costs are also a fraction of those of traditional advertising. When consumers are organically sharing your content in a positive fashion, the advertising is nearly free, and the potential for increased sales is high.
However, creating viral content presents some challenges. While going viral certainly provides more brand exposure, there is no guarantee that viewers will buy your product or service. Content that misses the mark might also garner a negative reaction online. This effect can be detrimental to businesses and decrease the likelihood of going viral in the future.
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The elements of a viral marketing campaign
According to Paula Mantle, Vice President of Communications and Transformation at Branch, there’s no silver bullet to going viral: “Virality is part strategy, part timing, and a whole lot of luck.”
However, there are ways to sway the odds in your favor. Every successful viral marketing campaign uses some combination of the following six tactics and techniques to capture the attention of a broad and varied audience.
Timeliness
It is important to optimize the times you post to ensure the widest possible audience sees your content. It’s also vital to stay current with industry and pop culture trends to know what your target audience gravitates toward. You can use Google Trends to see what’s trending online so you can make informed, tailored decisions about your content strategy.
Visual appeal
Viral campaigns need a strong visual component to resonate with audiences. Consumers respond to eye-catching visuals that tell a story and allow them to better understand your brand.
“To stop the scroll, your creative has to stand out,” said Mantle. “Video is performing well these days, but must also work with or without sound."
The best viral campaigns use humor, nostalgia, or shock value to hit a nerve. And you only have a couple of seconds to compel audiences to feel so strongly about your topic that they must share it.Paula Mantle, Vice President of Communications and Transformation at Branch
Creativity
While there are always exceptions, campaigns are much more likely to go viral when there is an innovative, original idea guiding the marketing campaign. The content has to feel creative and fresh for people to want to share it organically within their networks.
Shareability
Viral content should be easy for consumers to share on social media. The impetus to share could stem from a hashtag, imagery that consumers can easily replicate, or giveaways. The goal is to create buzz about your brand that people will see others interact with and want for themselves.
Emotional resonance
Viral campaigns often elicit a strong reaction, connecting with consumers on an emotional level.
“The best viral campaigns use humor, nostalgia, or shock value to hit a nerve,” said Mantle. “And you only have a couple of seconds to compel audiences to feel so strongly about your topic that they must share it.”
Relevance to your target audience
Marketing campaigns should resonate with your target audience so they will feel inclined to share content. As you create your content, ask yourself:
- What platforms do my target audience use most regularly?
- What do they feel passionate about?
- What are their values?
Use the answers to guide your content strategy and encourage organic shares.
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Examples of viral marketing campaigns that worked
These viral marketing campaigns didn’t just sell products, they sparked conversations, drove engagement, and captured users’ imaginations. And while many of the examples in this list had a marketing budget to work with, not all of them paid for the attention they received.
Judy's Family Cafe
This cafe went viral on TikTok by posting quirky videos of owner Judy Wang wearing tiny sunglasses. The videos have a distinctive, repeatable structure. They start with an eye-catching viral clip from the internet — a motorcycle accident, a kickboxer, a skateboarder crashing — and then transition into Judy riffing on that moment, always holding pancakes and always in her signature small black glasses. Wang’s most viral video garnered 10.5 million views and nearly 1 million likes. Wang added that sales also increased 50%.
The ‘Barbie’ movie
Warner Bros.’ robust marketing campaign for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, colored by partnerships and pink-themed branding, resonated globally. The campaign’s breadcrumb strategy kept audiences engaged, generating well-deserved media attention and reflecting a broader movement well before the movie’s July 2023 release. The color pink, which was the center of the film’s marketing strategy, symbolized girl power and flourished in fashion. The marketing campaign even harnessed Google, which turned the search engine pink when interested parties searched for “Barbie” or “Barbie movie.”
Additionally, the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, celebrating the simultaneous theatrical release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” emerged organically, creating even more traction. “Barbie” earned $155 million in the United States during its opening weekend alone, showcasing the success of a robust marketing campaign. Moviegoers wore costumes and pink outfits to showings, amplifying the collective experience.
McDonald’s Grimace shake
McDonald’s celebrated the birthday of Grimace — the large purple creature featured in McDonaldland commercials — with a limited-time purple milkshake promotion that turned into a viral campaign. Fueled by TikTok videos showing creative consumption experiences, major brands joined in on the viral campaign. Individuals on TikTok were seen drinking the Grimace shake, and then the video would cut to them on the ground in the spilled purple shake or having a paranormal-type experience. The campaign’s second-quarter success was attributed to trend creation, major brand collaborations, and character-driven engagement.
‘Smile’
Paramount’s horror movie “Smile” dominated the box office through an innovative viral marketing campaign. The campaign involved placing actors with eerie-looking smiles in the background of live events — MLB games in particular. The film’s plot involved a supernatural force compelling people to commit terrible acts with unsettling grins, which echoed the real-life actors’ appearances at live events.
The campaign understandably went viral on social media and caught the attention of both younger and older audiences. During opening weekend, “Smile” earned $22 million and garnered over 160 million organic social media views, proving the power of implementing inventive marketing in the age of social media.
‘Severance’
The marketing campaign for Apple TV+’s “Severance” blurred the line between fiction and reality to generate buzz for the beloved show. The most notable stunt featured a faux Lumon Industries “orientation” pop-up in New York’s Grand Central Station, where actors — playing eerily cheerful employees — handed out branded materials and invited passersby to “sever the line” between their work and personal lives. The campaign’s immersive experience, unsettling tone, and viral-worthy visuals sparked widespread attention online. It worked because it mirrored the show’s premise, making fans feel part of its world.
Spotify Wrapped
Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign transforms user listening data into personalized, shareable year-in-review experiences. Each December, users receive customized playlists and infographics highlighting their top songs, artists, and genres, encouraging them to share the insights with their followers on social media. This approach taps into personalization and the desire for self-expression, fostering widespread user engagement. The campaign’s success is evident, with 200 million users engaging in the first 24 hours in 2025 and over 500 million shares in the first day — an increase of 41% from 2024.
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How to measure the success of a viral marketing campaign
To ensure your viral marketing campaign is both popular and effective, make sure you’re tracking the right metrics, including:
- Reach and impressions gauge how many users saw your content and how often it appeared.
- Engagement rate tracks likes, shares, comments, and clicks.
- Referral traffic measures how many users visit your site via shared links.
- Conversion rate shows how many viewers take action (buy, sign up, etc.).
- Viral coefficient indicates how many new users each existing user brings in.
- Viral cycle time measures how fast your campaign spreads from user to user.
Mistakes to avoid when trying to go viral
Going viral can skyrocket a brand, but missteps might make your campaign fall flat or attract the wrong kind of attention. Here are key mistakes to avoid:
- Lack of sensitivity: Offending audiences through tone-deaf or alienating messaging can lead to backlash. Always try to create content with diverse perspectives.
- Poor timing: Stay aware of current events, as launching lighthearted content during serious events may seem insensitive.
- Clickbait headlines: Ensure your headline accurately represents your content; misleading titles damage customer trust.
- Unclear branding: Viral content without brand association is a missed opportunity, so make sure your brand is visible and relevant.
- Bandwagoning without context: Following trends blindly can backfire. Align with trends that match your values and make sense with your brand.
- Overly commercial content: Audiences often skip traditional ads, so focus on storytelling or entertainment.
How to capitalize on viral success
“Virality is a flash, but you need a way to keep the lights on,” said Mantle. “Sustained growth comes from what you do after the hype, so have a plan in place to reinforce your message beyond the moment.”
Here are some key ways to turn viral success into a long-term impact:
- Respond to comments and messages to build trust and loyalty, and continue the conversation to turn the commenters into long-term users.
- Ensure your website and social media platforms are ready for increased traffic.
- Communicate clearly to manage expectations and maintain credibility.
- Adjust operations to meet demand without sacrificing quality.
- Analyze metrics to understand what’s driving success.
- Use the spotlight to introduce new offerings or reinforce your brand’s mission.
“The goal is to be the brand with a steady stream of interesting, valuable, and creative content — not just the brand with ‘that one campaign, that one time,’” Mantle told CO—.
Why a small budget can actually be an advantage in viral marketing
Viewers are savvy when it comes to recognizing authentic content. Videos that look too polished, too produced, and too manufactured are less likely to go viral than low-fi versions.
“On platforms like TikTok and YouTube, homemade, scrappy-looking videos regularly outperform slick, big-budget productions. It’s because they feel human, relatable, and trustworthy,” said Ryan Stone, Founder and Creative Director at Lambda Films. “As a small business, you can lean into the rough edges. Grab your phone, talk honestly, show your process. Quantity beats perfection, and authenticity builds connection.”
Working with a smaller budget also gives you space to experiment. Follow the same principles as you would in product development: Test a basic idea before developing a full, market-ready video. If you see messaging start to gain momentum, then you can boost it with a budget.
“Scrappy experiments are low-risk ways to test ideas. Before you invest in a large sponsorship or campaign, test the message organically. Does it get traction on social? Does it resonate with customers? If so, then double down with spend,” wrote Dave Gerhardt, founder of Exit Five, a leading community for B2B marketers.
There’s no way to guarantee virality, but a small budget can push you toward what actually drives sharing — authenticity, surprise, speed, and a genuine human voice.
Sydney Kerelo, Danielle Fallon-O’Leary, and Lauren Kubiak contributed to this article.
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