Getting it on with virals

Comment Justin Gomes, Andrew Whitehouse and Noel Cottrell, creative directors of FoxP2, "The ironic use of Jacob Zuma and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang as spokespeople for the Pronto condom brand have gone down a storm with both the local and international public. In just over three weeks, the virals have been viewed over 800 000 times on the Pronto website alone, and by the millions on other local websites.

"On YouTube , one of the international video forum websites, the ads were viewed 450 000 times and viewers gave the ads five star ratings with comments like 'Holy Christmas! Gotta get me one of those!' The great response has stirred up substantial interest from potential international backers. When it comes to advertising effectively on a limited budget, viral ads are definitely the quickest way to get it on."

According to van Rensburg, with a viral campaign, "you really can have overnight success because it spreads just like a real virus. Literally, overnight Pronto condom virals were being watched around the world. It's an amazing way of exposing a brand to a large number of prospective clients and investors.

According to www.alexaradar.com, which measures visitor traffic to websites in cyberspace, the Pronto condom website is currently ranked as the second most popular site under the movers and shakers category, with a massive 2000% increase in hits over the past two weeks.