Yesterday, when looking at (of all things) the traffic stats for my blog, I did something I rarely do. I clicked on an online ad. There was a mildly humorous banner that featured a cat. It promised something about a new way to deal with the age old burden of litter box cleaning. I clicked. Now, I should say that while I do own a cat, I have absolutely no issue with cleaning the cat box nor am I actively in the market for any sort of change in this part of my life.
The banner took me to a website selling the Cat Genie. Get this. This is an actual flushing toilet for cats which hooks up to your plumbing, flushes, then washes the litter-like filler and air dries it for the next use. I am all for advancements in cat hygiene, but I really don't t think that this product is solving a problem that needs to be solved...at least it might not need to be solved so elaborately.
But here's what intrigued me about my own behavior. I watched the video demo of how the kitty toilet works. I watched it again in disbelief. Then, you guessed it, I forwarded the thing to a handful of friends, knowing that they would stare incredulously at the screen the same way I did, and probably laugh, the way I did. And, I don't know for certain, but I expect that they too, forwarded it to friends.
Now, I have no idea of if the makers of the Cat Genie are sophisticated enough in their marketing efforts to have made "the pass along factor" the intention of their website, but it worked on me. The fact that there was no "forward to a friend" feature on the site makes me wonder if they have any idea how much of a viral opportunity they have on their hands.
Now of course, I forwarded the video in jest. I never intended to promote this product, nor do I expect anyone who I sent it to to buy it. But without intending to be influential and viral, well, I guess I was. I was just an Average Joe bee, out there creating buzz (see my previous post "Want to Create Buzz?").
So, I'm sure by now you're itching (or shall I say, scratching) to see the video. In true viral fashion, here's the link: Cat Genie Video
