17
.
T
, a
COTS
echnology
ilm producer
Kadient
EERMANM
t
reendale, a general
ambridge T
$
VIDAD
irm investing in seed and early-stageis a VC f
reendale was a founder of C
Kodiakartners.
ilms. A typical VC follows a maxim stating that most ventures will
, and—hopefully—one will take off and become a large enterprise
reendale and I are both on the board of directors of
Think like a venture capitali
ficult to purposely create viral marketing buzz, it is certainly possible,
The same goes for viral marketing efforts.
enture P
The problem is that nobody knows with certainty which movie or
venture-backed company in the portfolio will succeed, so finding a
success is a numbers game requiring investment in many prospects.
:: How word-of-mouse spreads your ideas for free
The best way to initiate viral marketing is to think like a venture capitalist or f
While I think it is dif
and the best strategy is to emulate the way venture capitalists (VCs) invest in start-up compa-
nies and studios create f
fail, a few might do okay
that will repay investors many times the initial investment. Record companies and movie
studios follow the same principles, expecting that most of the projects they green-light will
have meager sales but that the one hit will more than repay the cost of a bunch of flops.
To gain some additional insight into how VCs think (so we can apply their theories to the
creation of viral marketing campaigns), I spoke at length with Chris G
partner at Kodiak V
technology companies. G
Kodiak-funded company that provides salespeople with the information tools they need to
close deals. Before working with Kodiak, G
Partners and an early investor in Seibel Systems.
The New Rules of Viral Marketing
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