Some maize seedlings turning into popcorn as a result of waves from a mobile phones, the fake video, which has already been viewed by over 15 million Internet users, is the latest clear example of a new type of advertisement, a disguised one.

The ingredients for success are simple: at a time when the supposed harmful effects of mobile phones have consumers worried, this so-called "pop corn" video has intrigued, amused or even alarmed Internet users.

In turn, they have spread it to their peers, thus contributing to the phenomenal success of the advert, which was made by a company that specializes in producing Bluetooth and other mobile telephone applications.

This advertising technique, also known as viral marketing, is based on the principle of targeting, whereby the Internet becomes some sort of a free medium for advertising and advertisers by relying solely on the multiplier effect of the Internet.

"For us, this has been an incredible success. We did not think that this could generate such a buzz," said Frederic Chast, designer of the viral campaign. "And for our client, Cardo, it has also been a big success. The video has reached a lot of people in the world."

The video in question was not expensive as it cost an estimated 90,000 euros (about 139,000 U.S. dollars), a paltry sum by any standards and judging from the success of the campaign.

Last year, to launch the new format of the weekly magazine Choc, Buzzman, an advertising agency, came up with a fake video showing someone falling from an airplane. Within 24 hours, the video had managed to draw a cult following and traffic to the site of the magazine had surged by a whooping 250 percent per day.

"With broadband internet, the explosion of 2.0 Web and the multiplication of interactive sites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, Facebook... viral marketing is becoming more and more important and resulting in high returns on investment," explains Nicolas Tracz, consultant in marketing strategy.

The Internet is a very powerful amplifier that can enable a brand to emerge, especially more so since Internet users are less suspicious when videos are recommended by friends.

But before reaching the general public, marketing agencies have to perform a lot of work in order to target the right market segment. "Unlike advertising campaigns in traditional media, it is after the campaign has been launched that the hardest work begins, " says Emmanuel Vivier of Culturebuzz, an agency specializing in viral marketing.

Depending on the campaign, it is vital for agencies to choose their first target. Webmasters, the presidents of associations of students as well as influential bloggers are targets of choice to form the first link in the chain.

"The most difficult is to convince the bloggers who are the most suspicious of all internet users. But if it works with them, then the general public rallies behind them and the chain takes an exponential turn," according to Chast.

Then, advertisement agencies, which follow closely the chain generated by the video, almost hour by hour, can now start sending mail and posting their own comments on selected sites to "make a buzz" on the video.

Another winning point regarding this technique used solely by viral advertisers is the lifetime of these advertisements compared to traditional campaigns. "A video can be seen months after its launch and through the Internet, we can have a detailed account of the number of people that advertisement has reached," said one viral marketing analyst.

However, advertisers have sometimes been beaten at their own " game." With the emergence of interactive sites, certain brands have found it difficult to counter the devastating effect of rumors and innuendos circulated by internet users.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2008)