Markingegno's drafts

What is the difference between viral and word-of-mouth marketing?

Answer: Viral marketing is typically reserved for programs where the advertising is talked about as opposed to the product itself. A good example are viral videos, where the humor trumps the brand, ala Cadbury Schweppes drumming gorilla video—humorous partly due to the Phil Collins soundtrack, of course—and the parodies which followed).

Word of mouth is the actual sharing of an opinion about a product or service between consumers.

Your viral marketing only works if it gets people talking about the product itself. If it doesn’t, you might create some laughter and awareness, but there won’t be a change in sales.

iPhone 3G activation will be required at time of purchase

In theory that sounds fine, but it does nothing to solve the problem of having hacked iPhones out in the market. That’s not to say that this measure will stop hacked phones, but the companies are trying to cut down a peg or two.