Grasshopper makes it into MarketingSherpa's Viral Hall of Fame 2009

We’re excited to introduce the inductees to MarketingSherpa’s fifth annual Viral Marketing Hall of Fame.

See how seven marketers planned and executed campaigns that built their own buzz and pushed KPIs higher and higher. Includes screenshots, campaign summaries, and Sherpa analysis on seven campaigns from companies such as Disney, Microsoft and Atlassian.

Viral marketing can be a great strategy to reach customers and prospects with something fresh. Some successful campaigns require only a small investment and rely on the audience to spread the message. Other campaigns call for more financial resources, but use the viral effect to ensure a broader reach and better ROI.

Either way, viral campaigns are not always easy to execute. That’s why we’re highlighting seven campaigns inducted into MarketingSherpa’s Viral Marketing Hall of Fame for 2009. You will see how these marketers established goals, outlined a strategy, and marched toward success.

We’ve selected four B2C campaigns and three B2B campaigns as this year’s inductees—and their tactics vary greatly. One B2B company mailed chocolate covered bugs to their audience (yum!) and got them to film themselves eating the unusual snack. A team of consumer marketers created a customizable video with a pass-along tool to encourage sharing (very cool).

MarketingSherpa Summary:
A corporate re-branding gave Grasshopper the opportunity to make a huge impression on its core audience of entrepreneurs and SMBs. The campaign featured a direct-mail piece few could ignore: A package of chocolate-covered grasshoppers that recipients were challenged to actually eat—and record their daring feat via social networks. The stunt exploded on Twitter and blogs, and even landed the company eight TV news segments. Package recipients were also directed to an inspirational online video about the economic power of entrepreneurs (and links to how Grasshopper’s virtual phone systems can help). The result: More than 200,000 video views, and a 93% increase in clicks to the “How it Works” section of the company’s website.

Campaign Goal:
The primary goal was to inspire entrepreneurs (or anyone for that matter) to get up, take action, and pursue something they have always been passionate about. The team also wanted to create general awareness for the “Grasshopper” brand as a brand for entrepreneurs, because they were re-branding from GotVMail to Grasshopper. Also, the recession made it a good time to motivate entrepreneurs, the people who have the power to create jobs and affect our economy.

Buzz Generated:
In the first month alone, the campaign received coverage in 119 different blogs. Other buzz:

• More than 200,000 YouTube views
• More than 170 unique blog posts/news articles
• 2,959 company/campaign related tweets, including tweets from major influencers such as Guy Kawasaki
• Eight mentions on national TV broadcasts (FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC)
• 1,664 referrals from Facebook to the company website
• More than 70 user generated videos/pictures.