Are virals an example of web 2.0?

So how do virals relate to web 2.0?

Mash-Ups

Firstly It takes advantage of social networking with the ability for us to easily communicate with each other over various channels, and broadband connections with more competent users, people know how to attach something and send it on.
Virals use social networks and include a new application built for the new web. These are mash-ups, these are new applications that have ability to retrieve data from one source and place it within another. By using mash-ups, the brands viral ad can be placed anywhere, anytime. It can have a much wider reach to its audience, spanning over all the different social networking channels. Like a virus, it starts to appear everywhere allowing the brand to get endless amounts of publicity, good and bad.
To show an example, I have done it above, placed YouTube videos within my blog. Users can now view videos without having to go to the direct source. I will explain a bit more about mash-ups hopefully later on.

From user to participant

Its fun, enjoyable, they do something, they become active. instead of just reading content. they are almost writing it. user generated content. What we want to see, not the brand.


Architecture of participation

It demonstrates the 'architecture of participation' it gets the user to do something, in this case easily send something on, with minimal effort, but with maximum results.
All these things make up an excellent brand recognition for the product or service, intentionally or not. Its different in the way the brand isn't pushed in our face, its ambient approach to selling the brand allows us to enjoy these ads. And it this enjoyment, shock, or humor thats makes us unaware that we are marketing the brand subconsciously ignoring the face that its an advertising campaign.


People have the power

In web 2.0 brands are realizing the importance and power of internet users. Each and everyone one of us can see our friendship and communication trees expanding. Mainly through social networks. More information and data can be passed around far more quickly if it comes from us. allowing the brand to get more publicity over a wider audience.
But I think the main advantage we have is that we become the marketer for the brand. The advantage of this is that people receiving messages from their friends or people they know, respond more favorably than being targeted directly by a business. It has more credibility if we recommend it to others. We are unaware we are being targeted by an advertising message because it has come from someone we know. Like I mentioned in a previous blog entry, we are more media savvy than ever, and brands must find and devise equally savvy techniques to market their brands which we do not recognize as an advertising message. Otherwise it will get ignored. And i believe viral advertising gets across brand recognition in a very interesting way. Only if done correctly.


Push to Pull

Viral video's don't push the brand upon us, they don't wave it in front of our faces. They simply pull us in. The laughter and controversy gets everyone talking, either way your going to want to see it. People want to see what the fuss is all about, and go to the website or try out their products due to what they have just seen.

Theirs no direct sales pitch from the brand, it simply works on laughter. The fact its sent to us by a friend, we don't even see it as an advertisement so we don't ignore it. therefore watching it and eventually passing it on again and again.

It's up to us to go check out the brand, either through buying products, or going to their website, but we don't mind doing it because we had a laugh with the brand and find them more human.