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Viral marketing and lying

YouTube sensation Marie Digby is the latest viral star to be exposed as a fraud. Disney’s Hollywood Records signed her 18 months before she started posting “homemade” videos of cover songs on YouTube.

Many people are angered by the deception in these fake grassroots campaigns. Digby said that she denied being signed to any label on her MySpace page, because “I didn’t feel like it was something that was going to make people like me.”

In viral marketing, the line between fake and deceptive is a fine one, but it seems pretty clear that the key to success is acknowledgment by the producers that the campaign is, in fact, marketing. www.ilovebees.com was a huge success and www.alliwantforxmasisapsp.com was a dismal failure, partly because of the quality of execution and partly because Microsoft made it clear that they were involved while Sony didn’t.

In the end, deceptive viral marketing can be effective. Had you heard of Marie Digby before today? But I believe marketers should have some ethical standards. As successful viral campaigns prove, lying is not required, so why even risk it?