In early January 2009 the lifeforms of the blogosphere as well as reputable news sites were all talking about a new marketing stunt from the Queensland Tourism Department in New Zealand. The ‘Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’ was a new position and named as ‘The Best Job in the World’. Since the announcement, its website has had millions of hits, crashed several times and received many thousands of 60-second video applications.
The agency behind the publicity stunt, Cummins Nitro, came under attack for admitting that a video, supposedly that of a job ‘applicant’, was in fact the digital project manager of the agency.
This can be considered as a good example of the creation of a viral idea that can move into different media formats. A viral video or stunt alone can gives a firework effect and get noticed for a short amount of time, but doesn’t necessarily create engagement or have longevity. With a viral idea, it is possible to harness the power of advocacy from audiences.