Technical jargon: What does "viral" actually mean?
In his column «Fachchinesisch,» Benno Maggi explains terms from the fields of marketing and communications. This time, he focuses on the term «viral» and how it is currently shaking up the advertising industry—in its original sense.
Who would have thought that the tiny word would suddenly have such a negative connotation in the industry? Whereas just a few weeks ago it was something great to talk about something going viral, since the outbreak of the Corona crisis it has been resonating with something threatening. The term is making its way from its metaphorical use in social media back to its original field of origin: medicine. In order to join in with the linguistic tenor of the so-called or self-proclaimed experts, the tertium comparationis of the word in both fields is: rapidly spreading.
When contacts become a danger
A contact is considered a currency in the advertising industry, which is currently suffering an unprecedented price drop because something goes viral, which could have devastating consequences for all those involved in the industry, whether medium, agency or client. But even a virus itself is a pitiful structure and - because it depends on the metabolism of its host cell - not a living being, virologists agree. Like air pirates, viruses take over the cockpit of their host cell and steer it into self-destruction by smuggling in their DNA, with the result that only virus copies are produced.
And this is where marketing-viral definitely differs from medical-viral. Because while the former is contagious but generally productive or at least entertaining, the strategy of the latter is admittedly ingenious but sinister. So it remains to be seen for the future how viral the word viral will still be used in the industry.
* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He created the column "Vom Fach" in the NZZ Folio and was in charge of it for years. He presents and decodes words and terms that can be used either for small talk, being important, getting excited, playing Scrabble or simply for fun.
