#viral-marketing

#viral-marketing

While Roy Lee, the founder of Cluely, argues that startups should be thinking harder about social media virality, he also admits that brand awareness alone won't lead to sustained growth. "I can't say if it's a mistake, but maybe we launched too early," Lee said on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 last week. "The whole idea [was] let's launch something that barely works, and if we can get enough initial users, they will find out the use cases for us."

The game's name had been localized to Kuso Dungeon, which translates (in the tamest language) to "Crap Dungeon." While kuso is a term that, throughout Asia at least, can broadly denote campiness or parody--making its usage here incredibly appropriate--it can also be misinterpreted to mean any number of Japanese curse words. You see where this is going now.

Cluely's AI assistant grew famous this April with a viral claim that its undetectable windows could "help you cheat on anything" - a claim that was quickly disproven when a string of proctoring services showed they could, in fact, detect use of the AI assistant. But in a matter of months, the company had raised $15 million from Andreessen Horowitz, becoming one of the most visible products in the crowded AI assistant space.

We all just collectively decided that Group Seven were the cool people, the 'It' people, the baddies,

"As consumer attention shifts more and more towards digital media, we believe that experiential marketing is one of the few traditional marketing channels that brands can still use to create unique and memorable moments that actually reach consumers," says Reed Duchscher, Night's founder & CEO. "Marketing leaders tell us that in today's media landscape it's important that those experiential investments also translate into digital success and drive earned media virality online. That's why we're so excited to welcome Jasen and team to Night."

Brand partnerships used to mean a co-branded sneaker drop or a limited-edition snack flavor. Now, they're getting stranger-and more viral. Soda-and-cookie mashups, beer-infused soups, and hot honey beans have all hit store shelves in recent months, sparking a mix of curiosity, confusion, and clicks. At first glance, these collaborations might feel like stunts with little connection between the products. But marketing experts and brand leaders argue they serve a bigger purpose: keeping legacy names relevant in a crowded, attention-driven marketplace.

If you've never heard the term, ragebait marketing is simple: a brand does something polarizing or controversial - sometimes accidentally but often intentionally - with the goal of going viral by wreaking havoc in the comments and inspiring think pieces and millions of dollars in free publicity. And the truth is, it works - at least on the surface, if you measure the success of a campaign in views.

When NFL coaches started holding up laminated menus to hide their play-calling, nobody expected it to become the internet's favorite football meme. But this fall, one unlikely object has completely taken over football culture: the humble laminated menu. And now, Denny's is turning this viral moment into marketing gold with a campaign that's as brilliant as it is absurd. From Playbooks to Pop Culture: How Laminated Menus Became Football's Hottest Accessory The phenomenon started innocuously enough.

Gap unveiled a new marketing collaboration starring Katseye, a girl group composed of members from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States, last week, including a 90-second video of the group dancing to "Milkshake" by Kelis clad in Gap denim. The group's diverse background, and Gap's statement the ad highlights "cultural diversity" and "individuality," have prompted some comparisons online to Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle ad, which was championed by conservatives after some criticized it for appearing to promote eugenics.

Consider the recent excitement around Labubu dolls as a prime example. These bug-eyed elves, designed for the sole purpose of being attached to a bag or clothing, helped their parent company, Pop Mart, triple its profits in 2024 to a total of $920 million. The fever is still raging, with fans clambering to buy new colors and styles-and even potentially dangerous knockoffs.

The American Eagle advertising campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney led to a stock price increase of over 15%, boosting the company’s market valuation by approximately $310 million.

Mark Barrocas emphasized how SharkNinja's rise in marketing success is attributed to the effective utilization of social media, which is now their primary tool for outreach.

Liquid Death has redefined the perception of water packaging by using humorous, edgy marketing tactics that resonate deeply with millennials and Gen Z consumers.

The combination of chocolate and pistachio, rooted in Dubai's dessert scene, has captivated a wide audience, elevating its presence in global markets.

We decided to turn the campaign itself into the ultimate test, by trying to make someone completely unknown famous.

Saratoga Spring Water became a sensation after influencer Ashton Hall's unique morning routine went viral, dominating the Milken conference with its presence.