Viral Marketing -- on the offense?

This viral video may offend you. In some respects it may also be damaging to a brand.

This video featuring features a Volkswagen Polo with a suicide bomber inside of it. A guy gets in the Polo, drives to a populated outdoor area and then presses a button. He explodes -- but the car doesn't. Unlike other viral marketing videos this one seems to send a few clear messages.

The first thing I think of is this car is tough. But then it raises other questions. Does this car protect the driver or does it protect the world from the driver?

Theoretically a company could tactically plan an offensive viral marketing campaign against their competition. BMW could create a video of a bunch of fat old people driving around in a Mercedes Benz as a brand new M3 convertible blows past them with two attractive young women in it. Hmm, but to become truly"viral" there would have to be a reason for people to share it with each other. Maybe the passengers are naked?

However the question remains -- is there such thing as "bad" publicity? If you start a cigar store you may want to make sure that any local anti-smoking groups are well aware of you. They make noise. The next day your in the evening news. The details are fuzzy but I wouldn't be surprised if VW was behind this video despite claiming otherwise. Perhaps they hired a viral marketing firm and game them a green light to do just about anything.

Some people suspect a "rouge" ad agency might be behind the video. There was another video circulating a while back that had a cat getting decapitated by a retracting sun roof. Both that video and this VW video are clearly the work of professionals.

Could viral marketing be a (relatively) liability-free means to mock and devalue a competitor's brand? The answer to that question remains open. Certainly with internet casinos paying people money to streak at public sporting events with their URL on display there is room for more outrageous marketing methods. In the pursuit of a successful viral marketing campaign I am sure there are no shortage of companies ready to try just about anything.

Viral videos are viewed for amusement and curiosity. A company could easily find itself giving their competitors a barrage of free publicity at their very own expense.

©2004