An interesting thing about ICQ

For example, they use the standard email that will invite your friend to join, but the software can also be instructed to scan your address book and send all your friends invitation letters. In the following excerpt discuss the instantmessaging service ICQ. They simply didnt do marketing as we know it. So they tried to make it very easy to spread the word. TellAFriend promotions arent new, but they have become more powerful on the Internet.

Also in this chapter Have Your Customers Interact Prompt Your Customer to Spread the Word Should Give Incentives for Referrals? Multilevel Marketingthe Ultimate Buzz? An interesting thing about ICQ is their marketingor the lack thereof. For example, they use the standard email that will invite your friend to join, but the software can also be instructed to scan your address book and send all your friends invitation letters. Because each customer can reproduce information instantly and spread it to dozens or even thousands of others, this form of Internet marketing is called viral marketing.

They seemed to understand that as much as people liked the service, they wouldnt necessarily go out of their way to promote it. They simply didnt do marketing as we know it. When structure like this works, there is no need to nag customers. Look at what happened with ICQ. When journalist Ami Ginsburg came to interview the young Israeli founders, all the marketing they could show was brochure they had once produced but that was hardly ever used. So they tried to make it very easy to spread the word.

This chapter starts by analyzing paperbased passiton promotions which have been used to market music clubs, phone companies, even soap. They seemed to understand that as much as people liked the service, they wouldnt necessarily go out of their way to promote it. Telemarketers from ICQ will never call you up during dinner the way MCI did. Because each customer can reproduce information instantly and spread it to dozens or even thousands of others, this form of Internet marketing is called viral marketing.

The less you do, the more it grows, Ted Leonsis of AOL, the company that owns ICQ, told Newsweek. Telemarketers from ICQ will never call you up during dinner the way MCI did. Because each customer can reproduce information instantly and spread it to dozens or even thousands of others, this form of Internet marketing is called viral marketing. In the same way that the common cold spreads through sneezes, coughs, and handshakes, your offer spreads through ecards, electronic coupons, and inviteafriend emails.