If you managed to slip away from your desk Tuesday to watch the World Cup, you no doubt saw the amazing 16 saves by Tim Howard. As the most saves in a World Cup game since 1966, it was truly amazing to watch. However, what you may have missed was the countless ways Internet users fanned over Howard’s amazing skills. We often discuss “going viral” in Internet Marketing and if Tim Howard’s Internet fame isn’t viral, I don’t know what is. These are the top ways we saw users take to the Internet to praise our favorite goalie.
Nothing seemed to be able to get passed Howard, so Twitter users began to fantasize what his baby photos or team photos might look like. In other words, he looks like a brick wall.
Memes
Internet users also began to wonder if there’s anything that Tim Howard can’t save. Before the game was even finished, users started creating memes of Howard saving famous scenes, buildings, or events that ended in tragedy. Thus, the meme “Things Tim Howard Could Save” was born.
Articles
Any news or blog site that wanted to be a part of the viral trend put in their two cents about Howard. We saw Mashable, Huffington Post, USA Today, Washington Post, Buzzfeed, New York Times and everyone in between keeping us updated about every viral trend that centered around the event. Tim Howard was even briefly named the Secretary of Defense on Wikipedia.
“Tim Howard” began trending almost instantly on Facebook (and every other social media site). Even if you didn’t know how to design a meme, most users got involved on Facebook.
What does this mean for Internet Marketers?
The explosion of posts about Tim Howard actually teaches us a very valuable lesson in marketing. How? If you do something truly, truly great, the Internet will thank you for it. Even if the entire country isn’t watching your brand, by making an impact, you can create a true dialogue about something amazing.
