I knew what I was going to write about today when I saw this morning’s news. They were reporting about a video of a shark attacking a duck boat going up the Charles River in Boston. OK, think for a minute. Do you really think a shark would be chasing a duck boat up a river? That’s right; this was a viral marketing campaign by the New England Aquarium. This is the second time in 10 days that I have been impressed that a venue that is considered traditional and its marketing campaigns possibly boring went very non-traditional. I wrote about a museum doing cool street marketing in my June 21st post.
The shark video is part of a campaign by the New England Aquarium promoting their sharks & rays exhibit. The video is on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qGOX9siUK4 and is getting hits. But more importantly, it is getting PR buzz on the news. Just the fact the I am writing about it and placed the link is part of the viral spread. This is what today’s marketing is all about. If museums and aquariums can think outside the box, then we all should be doing it.
“What Else Can We Do”?
Every year you are charged with running a charity event. It has done consistent business and the formula works. The first question you need to ask when planning begins is “what else can we do”? This was brought up tonight at my planning session for the benefit I chair for The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN). Guess what, we came up with something new and exciting. We are working an on-line auction through our website that will coincide with the benefit. This is a new revenue source, using the new technology, and thinking outside our “event in a box”.
Tags: New England Aquarium, on-line auction, shark video, sharks and rays, TCAN, The Center for Arts in Natick, viral marketing, Youtube
July 3, 2008 at 1:18 am
Viral marketing… is thinking outside the box, atmosphere, galaxy and universe. I just posted a perfect example of this on my blog I’d love to hear your feedback.
http://casualtyofdesign.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/puma-shoes-knows-viral-marketing/
I’d give you some ideas on your event if you left more details.
Best of luck!
~ Mr. Echo
July 7, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Glad you liked Mullen’s work! They helped NEAQ promote the new sharks and rays exhibit pro bono, which was great of them. They’re a very talented agency.
We’re looking forward to another surprising promotion when we (hopefully) launch a marine mammal exhibit that will encourage physical fitness in kids