Herbal Facial – taken to the next level
This weekend I went to the famed ‘spa street’ looking for the much praised foot therapy and rejuvenating massages. I had heard so much about these spas that it was easy to ignore safer options like L’Oréal which were peperred on the way.
The entire spa was fresh with the aroma of rose petals and I could already feel relaxation setting in as I waited for the ‘herbal facial therapy’ to begin.
As the relaxing music of the spa was turned on and the cubes of ice placed on my eyes I was so glad that I choose to finally come here.
A thought too soon – just when I was feeling that the therapy was worth every penny, I got a little more herbal treatment than I had paid for.
The message therapist’s hand reeked of all kinds of spices – almost every pungent kind that I have encountered in my entire life. Definitely not the kind of herbal facial I had in mind, I had to close my nose and run out before I started smelling like meat ready to be barbecued.
Online video advertising
Fear may sell a lot of products, but humour is not too far behind. Online video advertisements usually bank on the second to spread their ideas.
These video promotions may not be of much relevance, or even innovative in their approach yet they spread because of the ease of forwarding and zero monetary investment on the part of the viewer.
Possible reasons why such videos work:
1. The source of the video is reliable and hence probably worth the effort
2. It presents a intriguing enough setting to entice the passerby to click
3. Invariably placed at login pages of the site (where the page takes some time to load)
4. Unpredictability of the story line
5. Ease in understanding the concept
6. Hope that one viewer will find it interesting enough to pass on to friends
The formula to trigger a chain reaction for online word of mouth is no rocket science. Get the elements right and you are set to go. This mode of advertising however comes with its own share of downside: firstly there is no way to measure how many of the ‘views’ actually translate into ‘customers’ , secondly such concepts work as long as there is a balanced mix or entertainment and advertisement, change that equation risk equating the brand to shallow humour.