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Trending Topics: The use of Viral Marketing

    Brands spend lots of time, effort, and money trying to engineer virality in order for their campaigns to be successful and to generate global media buzz. Many brands rely on viral marketing strategies. Viral marketing is defined by Sprout Social as a "style of promotion that relies on an audience to organically generate and push the message of a product or service." When a brand is able to make their campaigns go viral, they are able to each new audiences and those not in their target audience but may still have an interest in the brand. 

    One reason why this works for brands is that it is completely organic. Content on social media is spread only when audiences decide that the content is worth sharing. Going viral is all about posting content at the right time and place. Viral marketing campaigns can be very bold depending on the brand's persona. However, being too bold can backfire on a brand and cause more controversy versus brand recognition and success for the brand. 

    An example of a brands campaign that debuted at just the right time and used boldness to help gain virality is Popeyes and the great "Chicken Wars" in 2019. Rivalry between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A started after Popeyes launched their own version of a chicken sandwich. The virality of the rivalry was too good for other brands to miss out on and so before long chicken sandwiches were popping up everywhere and other rivals were going the "war". The battlefield, also known as Twitter, now X, was littered with controversial "clap backs" from each side. While Chick-fil-A stuck to traditional and a brand consistent approach that focused on quality and costumer devotion strategy, Popeyes was bold, humorous, and meme-driven. 

   A Case Study conducted by students at Penn State University stated that the because of the "Chicken Wars" the chicken sandwich market had a 420% increase in sales aft the campaign. This increase made the campaign the most successful fast-food marketing campaigns. While there is no clear winner in who has the best chicken sandwich Popeyes walked away with a major win in terms of creating global buzz. In the two weeks following Popeye's initial tweet they received 178 times more Twitter mentions than they had the previous year. Popeyes also generated 8 billion impressions on Google and became the top search. Not to mention they had sold out of their 10-week sandwich supply withing eight days. Popeyes campaign and business and marketing aspects were analyzed in depth by CNN, The New York Times, and Forbes. However, it is important to mention that while Popeyes had a strong initial surge once the media frenzy calmed down Chick-fil-A reclaimed their top spot and continued to be one of the highest earning fast food chains in the market. 

    Even state parks across the United States are jumping on the viral marketing band wagon. With the rise of the digital world state parks have dusted off old social media platforms and have started to post content regularly.  In 2025 "Parktok" went viral, and while content was not posted from official national park accounts it still helped to promote the parks and urge viewers to donate to organizations such as the National Park Foundation. These TikTok's are funny while a little on the unhinged side making them the perfect candidate to go viral on the platform. The trend pairs sexually suggestive clips or music with footage of scenes from the parks. Kim Tanner, who runs the unofficial Joshua Tree account, said "It's a way to pull people in, it's a way to hook them, and it works. But at the same time, you're showing them that beautiful imagery (of the parks) and hopefully, even if subliminally, you're educating them." 

    While National parks do have some help in viral marketing some parks and wildlife conservation departments and organizations do create their own virality. One account in particular is the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Their X account alone has over 241.9 thousand followers. Much like Popeyes the Department posts humorous content. The department pokes fun at the comments and messages the receive as well as create their own take on viral trends on social media. This helps the department to not only promote and spread awareness for the conservation of wildlife but is also helps attract younger generations to wildlife conservation as well as hunting and fishing. 

    In 2024, the National Park Service reported that there were over 331.9 million recreational visits across its websites which in turn has led to an uptick in park visits. All of this is due to the parks joining the digital age, as well as the unofficial park accounts, that have created a viral buzz around State Parks. 

    Unless you have lived under a social media rock just about everyone has heard of  The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge . The ice bucket challenge existed before the ALS association jumped on the trend and used it to raise over $115 million and create a worldwide sensation that increased ALS awareness. The ALS association raises awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is a "nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord" according to the Mayo Clinic. The challenge originally began trending in 2014 after professional golfer Chris Kennedy challenged Jeanette Senerchia, his cousin whose husband had been diagnosed with ALS, from there the challenge began to grow with celebrities such as The Rock , Tom Cruise, and even Dolly Parton joining in on the trend. In 2025 the trend reemerged however this time the challenge was used to raise awareness for mental health organizations. The #SpeakYourMind Ice Bucket Challenge began in March of 2025 when University of South Carolina Mental Illness Needs Discussion Club posted a video on Instagram announcing the launch of the challenge. Originally the fundraising goal was only $500 however, through viral marketing the campaign raised over $240,000 in only a month of the challenge going viral. 

 

 In conclusion, whether it's a fast-food restaurant, streaming services, charity organizations or even a state park brands are learning the importance of viral marketing and just how beneficial it can be for their success. Social media platforms have allowed brands to extend their reach and help them to build brand awareness even with those not in their target audience. While it can be a dangerous game for brands to play, a brands campaign going viral can generate great success for the brand.