5 Ways Al-Quaeda is Using Internet Marketing

Internet Marketing is not dead. But it may have caused the death of a few people.

Let's take a look at how terrorist organizations are using Internet Marketing to recruit and spread the word.

1. Case #1: Dirty Kuffar

Yeah boyeeee!

MC Osama is in da hizouse - and the roof ... the roof ... the roof is on fire (really).

In the old days, ask any young man what he wanted to be when he grew up and he might say 'a fireman' or 'a policeman.'

Now little boys want to grow up to be gangstas. And why not? They get all the hos ... You know they got the bling-bling ...

'How you gonna tell me my rims ain't clean?'

Sign me up!

And what bigger gangstas are there than terrorists?

Well, a rap MC calling himself 'Sheik Terrah' (apparently spelling corruptions are just another way to 'stick it to the man' - you go boyee!) has released a new hip hop video called 'Dirty Kuffar' and it's all over the web and the file sharing community.

It is a pretty simplistic hate diatribe that lists a lot of western personalities and calls them 'Dirty Kuffar' (Kuffar = Infidel).

'Yeah, Ronald Reagan is a Dirty Kuffar

George Bush he a Dirty Kuffar

Michael Jackson is a Dirty Kuffar'

Yes, the creative genius is staggering.

Seriously though, the marketing effect was pretty pronounced.

For a while there, it was all over the place ...

2. Case #2: F*ck'n USA

Do a search for the above phrase in Google (without the deleted letters) and you'll find many links to a very interesting anti-American propaganda video created by the North Koreans.

It's the animated music video for a catchy little ditty about 'The Great Satan' that is America.

'Blah blah blah ...

And you were the cause of our country's division ...

ba! ba! F*ck'n U S A!'

(The F*ck'n refrain is in English, the rest in Korean.)

Hmm, kind of sticks in your head.

The video was subsequently played on Japanese and South Korean television (probably intending to capture viewer-interest because of the controversy), but that wasn't the end of the anti-America free publicity blitz.

The video with English translations popped up on websites all over the world and on file-sharing programs. So easily the message of hate is spread ...

SIDE NOTE: A clever guy translated the video into English and is advertising himself along with the translated video. (More on this tactic below.)

3. So, How Do They Do It?

How are these terrorist groups getting all this free grass roots advertising and publicity?

Let's break it down:

** Sub Viral Marketing **

This is a tactic where a piece of media (usually video) is created that on the surface is not appearing to advertise the target brand.

Coke, for example, is reported to have created funny videos where the Coke brand appears, but it doesn't look like an ad. People passed these videos on in purely on the merits of their humor. Little did they know, they were inadvertently adverting Coca-Cola.

The two case studies above were definite tools to gain favor for their organizations (the North Korean dictatorship and Al-Quaeda), but people were passing them along for reasons other than that.

They were passing them along because they liked hip-hop music, or they thought they were funny, or they liked the anti-America/Ronald Reagan/Michael Jackson/whatever message.

An interesting mutation of the sub-viral gene! More on these mutative factors below ...

** Pop Culture Predators **

If you can associate your cause with pop culture, it's easy to gain favor for your marketing message. Corporations are dedicating time and research into discovering what kids think is 'cool' and getting their brands to fit. Of course, kids are extremely insecure and at their core, they have a desperate fear that they are *not* cool. So, if you can convince them that doing something will make them cool, the influence is quite profound.

** Current Event Free Rides **

If a particular topic is popular, people are going to scour the net to learn more about it. Hitch your wagon to one of these stars and you get some free publicity.

Can you think of a few ways the above two videos did that?

SIDE NOTE: Remember the Monica Cigar? Here's a clever example of how a marketer hitched his wagon to current events to get free publicity. I remember The Monica even getting a little blurb on Fox News as a matter of fact.

** Enigmatic Content **

Who is that sexy Sheik Terrah?!

Since no one knows who he is, it adds to the controversy and gets more people talking. This spreads the virus even more ...

Further, look at how easily Bin-Laden's messages are spread. If Osama speaks, the whole world listens now. The media runs it as it's top headline. You stop everything and listen. You tell your friends.

Skillful manipulation.

***

So, there you go. Now you too can use terrorist tactics for fun and profit.

Obviously, I'm not supporting terrorism in any way shape or form. I only wish to describe their Internet Marketing tactics as they may, indeed, be useful to marketers.

Copyright 2004 Val Halla

About The Author

Val Halla is a web marketing consultant specializing in traffic generation and conversion analysis. She may be reached at: webgoddessvalhalla@yahoo.com

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:48:44 GMT European Researchers Win Nobels for Medicine - Washington Post Washington Post European Researchers Win Nobels for Medicine Washington Post - 1 hour ago By Rob Stein Two French researchers were awarded a Nobel Prize today for discovering the AIDS virus, bypassing an American researcher who played a key role in the discovery. Nobel is postscript to bitter 1980s HIV dispute The Associated Press Three Europeans Win the 2008 Nobel for Medicine New York Times Los Angeles Times - MSNBC - Chemical & Engineering News - Daily Mail all 843 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:12:15 GMT Brooke Burke: Misty May Is ‘Out of’ DWTS - People Magazine United Press International Brooke Burke: Misty May Is ‘Out of’ DWTS People Magazine - 1 hour ago It looks like Dancing with the Stars will be down one competitor when it airs Monday night. Misty May-Treanor, 31, has injured herself and is out of the competition, her castmate Brooke Burke confirms. DWTS: Will Kim Replace Injured Misty? E! Online 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant injured The Associated Press United Press International - News10.net - Baltimore Sun - Reality TV Magazine all 179 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:35:17 GMT What’s Next For OJ Simpson? - WJBF-TV BBC News What’s Next For OJ Simpson? WJBF-TV - 37 minutes ago OJ Simpson is back behind bars, convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery, and 10 other charges. Jury questionnaires, released Saturday, reveal 5 jurors disagreed with Simpson’s 1995 acquittal for murder. Video: OJ Jury: We Didn't Need Witnesses to Convict AssociatedPress Ostler: With a prison term, maybe Simpson can find real killers San Francisco Chronicle The Associated Press - Los Angeles Times - United Press International - New York Times all 3,272 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:11:20 GMT Campaign Attacks Intensify in the Wake of New Ads - Washington Post BBC News Campaign Attacks Intensify in the Wake of New Ads Washington Post - 1 hour ago By William Branigin and Michael Abramowitz The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain went after Barack Obama again today over his past association with a 1960s radical leader, and the Democratic contender struck back by highlighting ... Video: Palin Defends Terrorist Comment Against Obama AssociatedPress POLITICS-US: Asian Americans Tilt Heavily Toward Obama Inter Press Service The Weekly Standard - Christian Science Monitor - San Francisco Chronicle - The Associated Press all 4,086 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:46:43 GMT Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 - The Associated Press Washington Post Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 The Associated Press - 1 hour ago BOSTON (AP) - Josh Beckett waited four extra days for a chance to show his postseason brilliance. That shine wore off with his very first pitch. Video: Angels, White Sox Each Force a Game 4 AssociatedPress BoSox attempt to finish off Angels and advance to ALCS Sports Network Washington Post - Bleacher Report - FOXSports.com - MLB.com all 3,413 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:41:31 GMT Hamsters, turtles and other exotic pets can pose danger to kids - New York Daily News AFP Hamsters, turtles and other exotic pets can pose danger to kids New York Daily News - 1 hour ago Think that furry little hamster spinning on its wheel in your child’s bedroom is just a cute benign pet? Non-traditional household pets, including hamsters, mice, turtles and monkeys actually pose a health risk to young children, according to a new ... 8 Pets That Pose Major Health Threats to Kids U.S. News & World Report Exotic Pets Pose Health Risk To Children NBC 10.com AFP - eFluxMedia - The Associated Press - Mom Logic all 380 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:20:52 GMT IBM's cloud initiative repackages its familiar offerings - InfoWorld eFluxMedia IBM's cloud initiative repackages its familiar offerings InfoWorld - 1 hour ago By Ephraim Schwartz Mixing together a mélange of services, software and marketing, IBM's announcement this week of its Cloud Services Initiative is about putting an organizing construct around all of its cloud offerings, according to one IBM executive. IBM Puts More Tools in the InternetNews.com IBM unveils cloud computing offerings TG Daily CNNMoney.com - eWeek - CRN - VNUNet.com all 52 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:22:31 GMT RSS Datafeeds Amazon RSS

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Flat Tires, Slow Leaks, and Online Marketing

Does your online marketing campaign have a flat tire? Or... Read More

5 Things More Important to Internet Buyers than WHAT Youre Selling II

Web commerce is all about courtship, not salesmanship. In life,... Read More

Resources for Starting an Online Business

Anyone trying to start an Online business needs to have... Read More

How To Get Qualified Visitors to Your Site

Having an eBusiness isn't just about getting gobs of people... Read More

How to Leverage the Internet in MLM

Most people who try to leverage the Internet to build... Read More

New Form of Click Fraud Discovered

If you use PPC advertising and are in a highly... Read More

This Here Web Aint Big Enough For Both Of Us! Can You Corner Web Market Share With Negative Action

If you're a fan of Western movies I'm sure you've... Read More

Nobody Knows You Yet!

It is really a small wonder why most people fail... Read More

Silver Surfers: Successful Online Marketing to Seniors

If you are marketing to an older audience, don't discount... Read More

The Truth About Info Business

Let me save you, at least, several hundreds of dollars... Read More

Think Outside The Box: Home Internet Business Ideas

Imagine never having to leave your home to work. Not... Read More

Dollars In The Details!

When it comes to your marketing message, the little things... Read More

7 Ways to Become an Obvious Expert in Your Field

Obvious Experts enjoy a compelling advantage over their competition; they're... Read More

Your Personal Fortune Is In Your Words!

What is the most important skill you can possess as... Read More

Grab that Browser! The Captive Affiliate Marketing Model

Creating mini-sites that grab your browsers and prime them into... Read More

How To Get An Instant Flow Of Traffic Doing What You Always Do

How DO you get a great flow of traffic for... Read More

What Can Make You A Fantastic Internet Marketeer?

You've probably know many answers to this question: a good... Read More

You Know Youre Too Ethical When...

Yeah, TOO ethical!? Lately, with some of the issues I've... Read More

The Power of Taglines: Take My Tagline Test!

An effective logo/tagline combination can be one of the best... Read More

6 Basic Principals Every Online Business Owner Should Know

The fact that you're reading this article shows your interest... Read More

Are You Limiting Your Income?

When first starting out in internet marketing, I was afraid... Read More

Making Money in the Online Dating Gold Rush of 2004

Have you noticed the explosion of Websites related to love,... Read More

How to Network Effectively to Secure Freelance Work

When freelancers ask me what type of marketing is the... Read More

Niche Web Sites Do Not Have To Be Small

I've been marketing for a long time now and I... Read More

What is So Exciting about Money and the Internet?

I believe it is a principle of human nature that... Read More