Connecting Shakespeare and Viral Marketing

As I continue my research of Shakespeare as a product, I want to address the question, "What business strategies did Shakespeare use to achieve success?" In this post, I'm going to analyze the modern phenomenon of viral marketing in comparison with some of the marketing strategies that made Shakespeare a success in the 18th century.  First, I'll offer some insights that I found in my research of viral marketing. Then I'll analyze a Shakespeare video game, which was an attempt at using viral marketing to promote Shakespeare Country.  Finally, I'll explore some of the marketing strategies that increased Shakespeare's popularity in the 18th century.

Viral Marketing
Some of the most powerful recent marketing and advertising campaigns in recent history have made use of viral marketing. This type of marketing relies information being spread person to person through social networks. A person watches a funny video at work, emails it to a few friends and posts it on Facebook, and each of these friends pass it on in a self-replicating process. A few of my favorite viral successes include the Old Spice commercials, "Where the Hell is Matt" sponsored by Stride Gum, and a recent spoof of viral videos (but successful viral video of its own right), Jennifer Aniston goes viral. Since viral marketing takes advantage of the social networking power of the internet, just one video made on a low budget can be passed on exponentially and reach millions of people. Connecting with others on the internet is effortless, mindless, and addictive--viral marketing thrives for just that reason.