Viral marketing and the Boyle effect

Published on Thursday 23 April 2009 22:08

VIDEO clips of Susan Boyle singing on Britain's Got Talent have been seen by nearly 100 million people around the world – 80 million more than downloaded US president Barack Obama's inaugural address. That burst of publicity would be daunting for an experienced performer. But with luck and professional advice – she already has the talent – Ms Boyle should be able to turn her fame into a career.

However, it is tempting to ask how much of this YouTube phenomenon is down to the internet's instant democracy, and how much of it was contrived to benefit the television talent show and its producers. That is not a slight on Susan Boyle, whose honest upstaging of Simon Cowell and his condescending panel of judges has a lot to do with her instant success. Yet it is not unheard of for the programme (and other "reality" shows) to be more contrived than the audience realises.

Without doubt, the viral marketing campaign that has given Susan Boyle millions of fans (and Facebook friends) will also mean an increased audience for Britain's Got Talent. If it was spontaneous, all well and good. If she had a little help from the show, that is the least they could do. Some will worry that Susan Boyle is being manipulated and could be damaged by her success. But they make them pretty tough in West Lothian. Good luck to her.