Ever wonder how a YouTube video gets 10 million views in just a short time frame? Most of the time this is just viral (and not viral marketing). Marketers, however, are quickly realizing that they can leverage the power of something "going viral" to drive revenue.

To start, what does it mean to "go viral"? We've all fallen for at least one pyramid scheme in our lives. Whether it was the latest energy drink, cosmetic or nutritional supplement, these pyramid schemes operate on an exponential network theory. If you share something that is "that awesome" with 5 friends, they'll inevitably share it with 5 friends...who will share it with 5 more. With social networks, this process got a lot easier. You can now share something with 100+ people in minutes. In just 4 levels of separation our network quickly multiplied to one hundred million people (100x100x100x100).

So for marketers, their goal is to create something so unique, cool, exciting, awkward, and unusual that you want to share it with your network. Usually your 40% off Christmas sale isn't special enough to get attention. More often than not, it is something that has nothing to do with a sale that gets your attention.

Below are two examples of some random (and fake) promotions of new products by American Eagle and Scope. These both got national media exposure and took their brand on a roller coaster. This also led to millions of web hits to learn more about the product. What are your thoughts on this unpredictable viral marketing campaign? Tell us in the comments.

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