It's Spreading...

I want to start off this blog by showing what I think is a pretty creative example of viral e-marketing (or is it?). First, some background information about where the entire thing took place: deviantART is an online community for artists and those devoted to art. It is similar to YouTube, except members post art, rather than videos.

Sometime in 2009, a mysterious symbol accompanied by the tag line, "It's Spreading" popped up on deviantART.
A few artists began drawing their own interpretations of the symbol, and soon, everyone was jumping into the bandwagon--it really was spreading! Some examples:

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Despite hundreds of entries depicting the symbol, no one actually knew what it meant! Artists began writing on their deviantART journals speculating on its supposed meaning, and several polls appeared asking members what they thought it stood for. Some were offended by it: by keeping the meaning secret, the "It's Spreading" phenomenon promoted elitism. Others thought it was dangerous: "You don't know what you are supporting." Some thought it stood for a sort of religious cult, while some were disturbed by its resemblance to the Nazi symbol. The majority thought it was just a harmless fad, initiated by some very bored people with a pretty good sense of humor.

The meaning of the symbol remains ambiguous to this day. The general consensus is that it came from a comic book publisher called Aspen MLT, Inc. as promotion for their new comic book. Whether the symbol spread as a result of a successful marketing campaign, or simply by accident thanks to some excited fans, remains a mystery. Regardless, it certainly got people talking!

Successful marketing campaign or not? You decide!

Mae

Related links:
Newsrama blog
Facebook page
aspencomics.com