Five Marketing Lessons You Can Learn From the Whiteboard Girl

The Whiteboard Girl was a brief, yet much talked about phenomena. The nearly unbelievable tale of the young woman that had the nerve and creativity to vent her frustration with her boss and quit through a collection of witty photographs sent to her entire office went viral quickly, getting caught by bloggers and news outlets alike. Many debated the veracity of the content, while others simply applauded her guts and originality for using modern technology and a touch of spicy humor to quit her job and embarrass her boss.

Very quickly the creators, from The Chive, stepped forward and admitted that the act was simply a hoax designed to prove the effectiveness of viral promotions - even when launched at 4 am. Some would question the effectiveness of this kind of hoax scheme and how it would reflect on the brand, possible backfiring rather than promoting the organization.  However, I believe that a number of useful lessons can be learned from the whiteboard girl episode.

1. Budget is no obstacle
You don't need a massive budget to get widespread exposure. Today you can use conventional routes like PR agencies and Google adwords and not reach the audience that a cleverly prepared viral campaign can attract.

2. Unknown faces can catch on
Who says you need to have a celebrity to get noticed. The actress they used for whiteboard girl responded to a want ad for the part and was paid $400. The trick was not about being famous, but about being real. 

3. Sex doesn't sell
With all the seductiveness of the name - whiteboard girl - you would have thought the collection of 30 images would have been sexier. Still, simple, straightforward well thought out humor that appeals to our intellect (with a bit of sassiness) gets the job done.

4. Creativity is the main driver
 As with each point, the underlying fuel for this campaign wasn't budget, sexiness, or fame but creativity and originality. A well thought out program can attract a crowd, that is looking for more people like themselves - not movie stars.

5. Everyone wins
This was a small plot which bore fruit for everyone. The creators got the massive attention they were out to prove that they could. The whiteboard girl went from simple, struggling actress, to one of the most talked about women on the internet.  She now has several Facebook fan pages, including "1,000,000 Strong for Jenny DryErase to Pose in Playboy," which has more than 2000 members.