Since 2008, Audi’s marketing objectives have been to increase brand awareness and sales in a down economy, taking advantage of the fact that most marketers cut back on marketing during a recession. To do this, Audi has used several “unorthodox” viral marketing campaigns worldwide. These include the “Stolen Audi” miniseries TV and YouTube video spots and “Meet the Beckers” videos aimed at Audi’s competition. Both campaigns were instant hits online and offline. Viral marketing works for Audi because it is perceived to be “unorthodox” which matches Audi’s brand position in the marketplace. The viral marketing campaigns have succeeded to slow declining market share compared to other car brands in the current recession and have actually increased Audi’s brand awareness over its competition.
As the advertising world is changing, more
and more businesses are making use of viral marketing strategies to enhance their online presence since these are efficient, and cost-effective tactics. Viral marketing is a free, word-of-mouth advertising technique to increase your brand awareness online and offline by getting people to talk about your products and services, perfect for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and other popular social media sites.
