“Make this go viral!” It’s one of the most common requests we get. We understand. Brands demand more impact, more reach, more everything. But virality isn’t a strategy. It isn’t something you can guarantee through creative, influencers or ad spend. It isn’t even the best measure of success.
Sure, a single viral post can rack up millions of views. But a campaign that steadily builds trust and audience, however, can deliver greater long-term value. Here’s how our four leads across analytics, KOLs and performance marketing see it.
“Virality is a spike”
Shasha Amira, Head of Analytics
We love high-performing content at Person Edge. Not because it produces impressive numbers, but because it gives us something to learn from. The challenge with viral content is that it often defies one explanation: Was it creative? The platform algorithm? A cultural moment? Or simply luck? If we can’t explain why something worked, we can’t repeat it. That’s why we spend less time celebrating outliers and more time identifying patterns that tell us which messages resonate, which audiences convert, which creative choices steadily improve results. Virality is an event. Strategy comes from patterns.
“You can’t buy cultural relevance”
Kevin Sew, Account Manager
In today’s pay-to-play social landscape, paid media has become essential. Without it, even great content can struggle to find an audience. But momentum isn’t the same as cultural relevance. Media spend can buy impressions. But it can’t buy genuine interest, conversation or the instinctive urge for people to share something. Those are earned through ideas that actually resonate. Performance marketing was never meant to manufacture virality. It’s meant to give a good idea its first push to reach the right audience faster and scale what's already earning attention organically.
“The biggest creator isn’t always the right creator”
Shirley Wong, Associate Strategy Director
Brands often turn to creators hoping to borrow their cultural relevance. But creators don’t just lend you an audience, they lend you their trust. People follow influencers because they believe in their opinions and expertise. That’s the foundation of every successful creator partnership. A creator with millions of followers can deliver reach, but if the fit feels forced, those views rarely turn into business value. The better question was never “Who has the biggest audience?” It’s, “Who has already earned the trust of the audience we’re trying to influence?”
“Build a brand, not just content”
Siang Ng, Interim CEO
Trends are tempting to follow. Social media offers a new one every week. But brands tend to forget it’s just a small chapter in a much bigger storytelling ecosystem. Strong social strategies don’t begin with what’s trending. They begin with what the brand wants to be known for with questions like: Who are we trying to reach? What perception are we trying to build? How should every post, campaign, creator partnership and paid media effort reinforce that same story?
Get those answers right… and virality becomes the outcome, not the objective.
Here’s our PErspective
Virality shouldn’t be your KPI. It should be the byproduct of a strong marketing ecosystem. Brands grow when every discipline works together to consistently reach the right audience, earn attention and deliver meaningful business outcomes.
If you’re ready to build marketing that delivers more than just viral moments, hit us up at hello@personedge.com
