When I see a good viral marketing campaign, especially from a major brand like P&G, I have a hard time NOT telling people about it. It’s only good etiquette in the online world to at least tell your closest friends and family (if it’s clean enough). The crazy thing about this viral campaign is that it got 13 million visitors and I wasn’t one of them until I was recently asked by iMediaConnection to write a Creative Review. So here it is:

I’m shocked. Procter & Gamble actually takes a risk with their “Men with Cramps” online viral campaign site. And, it’s really engaging and funny on top of it all. Another shocker– there have been 13 million visitors to this site since it launched in September, but a P&G emarketing exec and I didn’t know about it when asked about viral campaigns at a panel event at the Email Insiders Summit in Utah two weeks ago. At that event, I asked him “a lot of the campaigns you showed are good but safe, what is P&G doing to compete with the caliber of viral sites like favorite Philips’ ShaveEverywhere site?” His response was that P&G has taken risks before with viral sites targeted in Europe, but plays it safe in the U.S.

After reviewing the site, MenwithCramps.com is now among my Top 5 favorite viral sites for 2006. To see the entire creative review, go to http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/13011.asp

This goes to show that when P&G gets in the game, they do it right. So, what makes this campaign site so good? First, the concept is brilliant. It’s really challenging to break the mold and gain attention, authenticity and loyalty when discussing an uncomfortable subject like menstrual cramps. To make it an easier conversation, P&G created a site that shows just how wimpy men would be if they had to deal with this kind of pain on a monthly basis. Second, the primary call-to-action on the site immediately draws the viewer into a series of hilarious video clips starring the fictional Dr. Fardel, who is on a mission to cure four different men with cramps with a unique remedy for each man. The tone of each video clip (15 in total) is playful in nature and opens our minds to how sensitive men can really be.

Lastly, the storyline is consistent and the content keeps coming. There is so much depth to this site– it has captured my attention for at least half an hour, viewing all of the Dr. Fardel video clips and the Seven-Part Video Documentary of the “History of Men with Cramps.” I have been profoundly informed that my forefathers had this very serious disease known as “Cyclical Non-Uterine Dismenorrhea.” My only critique is that my eye was never drawn to the viral aspect of sending it to friends until I stumbled upon the “Educate your Friends” link. Kudos to P&G for creating such a sticky online campaign that holds the viewer’s attention and laughter for far longer than any other viral site I’ve seen.
– Ryan Buchanan, president & CEO, eROI