How five core principles of viral marketing can help amplify life-saving UPRT awareness across the aviation industry.
Viral marketing isn’t just about likes and laughs. In aviation safety, it can drive awareness that saves lives. At Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), we’ve seen how the right content—delivered strategically—can elevate critical topics like Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) from niche concern to industry imperative.
Similar to the Old Spice viral campaign that combined humor, rapid multi-platform engagement, and massive viewer interaction to dominate online conversation (Griner, 2010), these traits in aviation safety messaging can create measurable awareness that saves lives.
Here are my top five characteristics of a successful viral marketing initiative, drawn from recent campaigns—and how we apply them at APS.
Why it matters: Viral content hits people in the gut—or the heart. Humor, urgency, or inspiration compels them to share (Quesenberry, 2021, ch. 1, p. 14).
Example: The Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign leveraged humor and celebrity to go viral (The Brand Hopper, 2024). At APS, we take a different tack: purpose-driven urgency. Our “Startle, Surprise, Survival” video, with over 15,000 views in just a few weeks, resonated emotionally with pilots by reframing a misunderstood procedure as a proactive choice to protect lives.
Example: Kony 2012 distilled a complex issue into a 30-minute video with one simple call to action: “Make Kony famous” (Quesenberry, 2021, ch. 1, p. 19). At APS, we use the phrase: “Every Pilot Trained—In Control—All The Time.” It’s clean. Memorable. And share-worthy.
Why it matters: Stories convert data into meaning (Quesenberry, 2021, ch. 5, p. 124).
Example: Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches succeeded because viewers saw themselves in the narrative (Quesenberry, 2021, ch. 12, p. 313). APS uses real-world NTSB accident data—like Atlas Air 3591—to highlight how UPRT readiness, not just compliance, is the missing link in aviation safety.
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Why it matters: Viral content isn’t universal—it must be designed for the platforms that carry it (SproutSocial, 2024).
Example: TikTok dance challenges thrive because they're native to the platform’s format (Quesenberry, 2021, ch. 8, p. 200). APS leans heavily into LinkedIn and YouTube, where our target audiences—flight departments, safety leaders, and professional pilots—are actively engaged.
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Example: Patagonia’s environmental activism goes viral because it matches its customers’ beliefs. APS’s content performs best when it champions pilot readiness and saving lives—a mission our audience stands behind.
(Cucu, 2021; Quesenberry, 2021).
Viral doesn’t have to mean gimmicky. When you combine intention, relevance, and emotional clarity, marketing can move the needle on even the most technical of topics. The most successful viral content blends humor, interactivity, relevance, and ease of sharing—four pillars that align directly with our five engagement traits (Quesenberry, 2021, Ch. 7, p. 152. At APS, we’re not just selling training—we’re changing the conversation on Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I). That’s a message worth sharing.
Want to help spread life-saving awareness? Share this post or tag someone in aviation who needs to see it. Follow @apstraining for more insights.
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References
Griner, D. (2010, July 27). Hey Old Spice haters, sales are up 107%. Adweek. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/hey-old-spice-haters-sales-are-107-10799/
Quesenberry, K. A. (2021). Social media strategy: Marketing, advertising, and public relations in the consumer revolution (3rd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.
SproutSocial. (2024, January). What is viral marketing? https://sproutsocial.com/insights/viral-marketing/
The Brand Hopper. (2024, January 4). Dissected: Snickers – “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign. https://thebrandhopper.com/2024/01/04/dissected-snickers-youre-not-you-when-youre-hungry-campaign/