It’s Friday, so I thought I would jump back to a lighter topic— Gangnam Style. Okay, okay, I know this post is late; however, if I would have posted it sooner, then I wouldn’t have been able to include this awesome example of steadfast fanaticism inspired by the viral phenomenon creeping dangerously close to 500 million views on YouTube. Also, I wouldn’t be able to share that Google CEO Larry Page thinks Gangnam Style is the “future of distribution.” The future of distribution?! Heavy words coming from the CEO of one of the most powerful organizations on the planet. Originally, this was only going to be two posts, but I’m going to stretch it out to three because there’s more to say on the topic than first anticipated.

Now for my thoughts on the three conditions necessary for the spread of a virus, and some tactics to try to employ to increase the odds of becoming a viral sensation:

Just to refresh your memory, the three conditions for spread of a virus are:

• An infectious individual
• A susceptible individual
• An effective contact between them

Condition 1: An infectious individual.

You are the originator of the infection, the epicenter of the pandemic, therefore you must begin the process with a strong virus a.k.a. something of interest to talk about and share. A strong virus is one that evokes a strong reaction, whether it’s amazement, a good laugh, sentimentality, annoyance, or something unsettling. It should also be something fresh and new, even if it’s the repurposing of an old idea, it needs to be presented in a different way.

Using the Gangnam Style example, I shared the video with my mother and two aunts, which provided several belly laughs, quality time with family, and memories that will last a lifetime as they all felt compelled to try to imitate the dance moves.

So as ground zero for a viral phenomenon you’re going to want to infect as many infectious individuals as possible. We all know this person. This person has a broad social network of people both on and offline. This person has their hands in multiple different groups and holds a position of leadership or close to the top. People listen to them, people admire them, and more importantly people want to do what they are doing and buy what they are buying. Often, this person does not wait around for people to suggest a product, they go out and do the research themselves to find what they need. They are curious and explorative, and they try many things to find what works for them and what doesn’t. This person is usually adventurous, extroverted, and talkative.  Give them something they want to share because they love it so much, and watch your virus spread.

So the next post is going to cover the last two conditions for the spread of a virus. Hopefully, you’re enjoying this piece, and if you have questions or comments we encourage you to leave them in the comment section below.

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