How should you reply when a client says 'just make it go viral'?

""Just make it go viral." The brief we've all heard, but how many understand it for the complex, intricate, insight-fuelled undertaking that it is? A meaningful, or positive cultural moment isn't something that can just be conjured up. And even if it could, is all PR good PR? The reality is that virality doesn't always equal value. Sometimes an idea, or a moment, can be linked to your brand and just take on a life of its own."

"A viral idea isn't something that's just created; it's crafted. From a mix of exquisite attention to detail, human nuance, and by being extremely dialed into the culture and moment in which it's being shared. That's how you get the local council to investigate your Waitrose OOH billboard, turning a pricing message into nationwide coverage. And that's how a simple, perfectly executed gag on a city street or in an ad slot gets captured, shared."

Viral moments require deliberate crafting, combining cultural insight, human nuance, and careful attention to execution and timing. Exposure alone does not equal commercial value; ideas can spread in ways that diverge from brand values or objectives. The most effective unpaid media outcomes are earned twice: first by the strength of the idea, then by a clear, timely response that amplifies spiraling, unplanned public spread. Early reach metrics are misleading; true impact depends on what happens after initial exposure. Local stunts or perfectly timed gags can generate disproportionate coverage and social sharing when they hit a cultural nerve.

Read at The Drum