When we think about viral marketing then we often think of amusing and original videos. However is this really the best platform for a viral marketing campaign? I believe that Flash games offer a great viral marketing alternative to video and here’s a few reasons why….

Games are interactive.

Games have an advantage over video, you can include your own links within a Flash game. Think about this, if you upload a video to YouTube and it goes viral then YouTube benefit the most from all the traffic they drive to their ads. Now imagine you released a viral game instead and YOU were benefiting from the player clicking YOUR links AND the player is already in “Click-Mode”.  Imagine how much traffic you could gain if when the player finished the game they are told at the high score table that their score qualifies them for a free gift or discount on your site… which leads me to my next point:

Games are Traceable!

You can see exactly how well your game is performing by adding tracking code to the game! Seeing how well a viral video is performing is a tricky business, why would you want to spend all that money only to not know anything about your ROI or player demographics?

Games are Social

Social media is all the rage at the moment, imagine the power of a viral game combined with social media.  It’s easy to have your game connect with Facebook and send out a challenge to your friends.  This also adds an extra level of competition to encourage your players to keep playing which keeps the viral effect in motion for longer.

Value for Money!

Who makes viral videos?  So there are 2 types of viral video… those random videos that get uploaded and go viral naturally or the type that are made by a marketing agency that cost a small fortune!  My guess is that if you want to guarantee the success of a viral video then the latter option would be your only choice and that means paying the agency who need to pay the camera man, actors, costume designers, script writers, sound engineers, editors etc etc etc!  A Flash game developer would be able to create a viral game at a fraction of the cost!

Can you think of any more benefits?  If so then please add your thoughts in a comment below!