Is viral marketing good for you? Sydney Ideas investigates

Tobacco companies setting up fan groups on social media websites is only one example of how commercial interests have been quick to see how new media gives them greater flexibility in their marketing, including sidestepping the restrictions posed by traditional media.

By contrast public health programs continue to rely heavily on old media platforms and community-based education programs. This may mean missing out on an awareness of threats to people's wellbeing and opportunities for improving it.

On 14 June a Sydney Ideas event asks Is Viral Marketing Good For You? and investigates the role of new media in the public health sphere.

Commercial interests have been quick to use social media, mobile technology and video sharing websites such as YouTube for marketing their products, as people engage with these media for information on health, and other social issues, as well as entertainment. Targeted audiences can be reached inexpensively and in a relatively unregulated environment, as viral marketing, 'like-ing' and 'friending' become increasingly popular.

Tobacco companies in particular have sidestepped World Health Organisation guidelines including by posting archival tobacco ads as strategies for 'below-the-line' promotion.

In some markets, apps are used to gain personal contact details and track the location of consumers, while other apps offer rewards for viral promotion.

A high-profile panel of specialists in social communication and public health campaigns looks at how non-commercial health interests can similarly use the flexibility of social media to promote public health messages. What are the risks? What is the likely effectiveness?

The panel consists of:

Doug Evans, Professor of Prevention and Community Health and Global Health, and Director of the Public Health Communication and Marketing Program in the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University, USA.
Dr Rachael Dunlop, cell biologist and research and communications officer at The Heart Research Institute.
Nicholas Goodwin, PhD candidate in the Department of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney who has worked in social marketing and international development programs throughout the Asia Pacific.
Melissa Sweet, journalist and moderator of Croakey.com, a blog for debate and discussion about health issues and policy.
Moderator: Ben Harris-Roxas, Research Fellow at the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at the University of New South Wales.
Co-presented with the Department of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney and the Australian Association of Social Marketing.

Event details
What: Is Viral Marketing Good For You? A Sydney Ideas event

When: 6pm, Tuesday 14 June

Where: Foyer, New Law Building, Camperdown Campus. See map and directions.

Cost: Free, no booking required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

Provided by University of Sydney