Kolaveri Di - Viral Mktg
http://www.business-standard.com/india/printpage.php?autono=45803...
A viral hit
Shelly Walia / December 10, 2011, 0:02 IST
Kolaveri Di is fast becoming a case study on how viral marketing can create a cult following for a product. Shelly Walia analyses the strategy that went into making this song an instant hit. It’s a classic case of ‘viral marketing’ gone wild, says brand expert Harish Bijoor about the far-reaching impact of the song Why this Kolaveri Di. This quirky Tanglish (a portmanteau for Tamil and English) number, which became an instant hit as soon as it was digitally released by Sony Music India in the second week of November, has now entered the lexicon of one and all. Three weeks on, the song has received a whopping 19 million hits on YouTube, has been on the playlist of 43 radio stations across India and has been ‘shared’ by over 6.5 million Facebook users. However, according to actor, lyricist and singer Dhanush, one shouldn’t take the song so seriously. “What probably made the song connect with the masses were the simple English words that are the part of every language,” he says. But Bijoor believes that there is a little more to the success of the song than just the simplicity of the lyrics. “The song, undoubtedly, has a rustic touch to it that appeals to the base instinct of masses. However, at the same time what boosted the song’s popularity is the consumer-to-consumer technique, rather than the marketer-to-consumer one. Moreover, geography is history now. The digital world allows access to everyone.” Along with its social media agency, Jack in the Box, Sony Music India marketed the song in phases. The song was first showcased for a Tamil audience and was then gradually taken to national and international levels. “We first posted the song on our Sony Music south pages on Facebook as well as on Twitter which are followed by lakhs of people. Through word-of-mouth, we tried to spread awareness about the song and get as many fans. After the
A viral hit
Shelly Walia / December 10, 2011, 0:02 IST
Kolaveri Di is fast becoming a case study on how viral marketing can create a cult following for a product. Shelly Walia analyses the strategy that went into making this song an instant hit. It’s a classic case of ‘viral marketing’ gone wild, says brand expert Harish Bijoor about the far-reaching impact of the song Why this Kolaveri Di. This quirky Tanglish (a portmanteau for Tamil and English) number, which became an instant hit as soon as it was digitally released by Sony Music India in the second week of November, has now entered the lexicon of one and all. Three weeks on, the song has received a whopping 19 million hits on YouTube, has been on the playlist of 43 radio stations across India and has been ‘shared’ by over 6.5 million Facebook users. However, according to actor, lyricist and singer Dhanush, one shouldn’t take the song so seriously. “What probably made the song connect with the masses were the simple English words that are the part of every language,” he says. But Bijoor believes that there is a little more to the success of the song than just the simplicity of the lyrics. “The song, undoubtedly, has a rustic touch to it that appeals to the base instinct of masses. However, at the same time what boosted the song’s popularity is the consumer-to-consumer technique, rather than the marketer-to-consumer one. Moreover, geography is history now. The digital world allows access to everyone.” Along with its social media agency, Jack in the Box, Sony Music India marketed the song in phases. The song was first showcased for a Tamil audience and was then gradually taken to national and international levels. “We first posted the song on our Sony Music south pages on Facebook as well as on Twitter which are followed by lakhs of people. Through word-of-mouth, we tried to spread awareness about the song and get as many fans. After the