A few months ago I received in invitation to become a friend of the group Betty White to Host SNL (Please?)! on Facebook.  Normally I automatically hit ignore for these types of Facebook invitations. Once you become a fan or friend of a page like this the never ending messages and reminders to take action promptly begin and never seem to end.  However, this campaign was completely different.  The creator of the page, a 29yearold man from San Antonio, watched the number of people friending his page increase way past his goal of 5,000 people.  The group, which became viral, ended up collecting over 514,000 friends, without annoying its members with messages and reminders.  This is a prime example of how to utilize Facebook or other social media outlets to generate a huge buzz for your brand without spending a lot of money (and not annoying or alienating your audience in the process).

This Saturday, the efforts of this viral campaign came to fruition when Betty White hosted the show, to rave reviews.  I recorded the show on my DVR, and my family and I watched the episode Sunday afternoon as part of our mother’s day festivities.  Although a little inappropriate at times, Betty did an amazing job (my favorite skit from the night is below) which is why I joined the group Betty White to Host the Oscars.  I figure…why not!