Why did Kolaveri Di Go Viral Part I

'Why this Kolaveri Di' song crosses 10 million mark – Why did it go Viral?’

With the India’s best Management Institute Professors trying to find answers to this phenomenon – here’s mine.

Virus Attacks – Virus is already inside us – lying dormant and at the opportune time – it ATTACKS! It multiplies using the host’s body and replicates till it overpowers the immune system. Virus don’t have to mate they simply it replicates geometrically. Social media mimics this biological phenomenon.

In the recent past we had seen the effects of Anna’s Movement on LokPal Bill, Kolaveri Di and Flash Mob video at CST: Mumbai.

Marketing Gurus would agree that – Viral Marketing strategy tempts (Pull strategy) the individuals to pass on the information/ message creating exponential growth in the message’s appeal and dispersal. The classical “word-of-mouth”, “buzz-word marketing”, “media-multiplier effects”, network marketing – have all condensed into “Viral Marketing”.

But how I asked myself – to my aide came some basic principles which are at work:

a.      Virals derives their strength from the inherent strength of Internet “ It’s a strategy of Giving – Giving free”. Free email accounts, free songs, free information, free content, free platforms (facebook/ twitter) FREE is the operative word. It’s easy to GIVE something away which is free.

b.      Network marketing gives the power to share information through our network (facebook/ twitter). Giving is powerful – it elevates an individual to a status of being a GIVER – a Demi-GOD and when the information or message doesn’t cost him anything – the effect is heady for the individual. Lots of ego massage happens in the process as the information is dispersed through the personal networks.

c.      Lastly, it exploits the dormant unsatisfied needs of the people to surface to be recognized. As they want to be the GIVER of that information to their networks. In Anna Hazare’s case – a good quality life for the common Indians. Netizen became the Change Agents for a corrupt-free India. For CST Mumbai – the amazement of movie Song-n-Dance becoming Real on a railway station! Netizen gratified in terms of being the first to share this First Flash Mob incidence in India. For Kolaveri Di … well you guess…

Ok – tomorrow … pacca..