Viral marketing ideas... genius or luck?

by Bart S.
(Thompson, N.J.)

I like the way you have broken out what goes into making a viral message; I guess at the end of the day all you need is the internet, right? Anything from an e-mail to a powerpoint to a video has the potential to go viral... my question is, what is the real secret to viral marketing success. Is it just luck to a large part, or is there some creative genius that goes into coming up with these ideas?

It's like with famous actors or famous bands, for everyone that becomes rich and famous, there are thousands of other who are just as equally talented who remain unknown... Christian Bale said something to that effect when he picked up his Oscar for "The Fighter" and I wonder how true that is... is it that the best stuff goes viral / becomes famous, or once again, is it just a matter of sheer luck?

That brings you to the next question which is, how can a person or organization come up with creative ideas? I think that is what the "magic" of viral marketing boils down to. Do you need a certain amount of "artistic" or creative genius in order to come up with a marketing idea that will go viral or is it just a matter of trying and trying and keeping on trying and then one day... you get lucky! ;)