Today I would like to share with you a viral marketing case study from my days at Ball State University (man I sound really old).
Let’s go back to 2005 on a warm spring day walking down McKinley Avenue (the main road that runs through Ball State) in route to your next class. The time is 12:00 pm. In the distance you can hear a “Happy Friday!” 
along with a faint motor running. The shout grows louder as a man dressed in bright colors with a cape moves closer at a very fast rate. Soon you can tell this guy is wearing a red karate helmet, goggles, a yellow shirt with a blue cape and of course knee pads! To top it all off he is on a motorized scooter weaving in and out between students on their way to class yelling ”Happy Friday!” You turn to the person next to you with a startled look on your face and without saying a word that person instinctively replies, “That’s Happy Friday Guy. He does this every Friday at noon.” And this very story is how a BSU legend was born.
Question: So how did something so obscure grow to the point to where Happy Friday Guy was awarded the “Campus Icon” award in 2007 beating out the likes of a Jim Davis or David Letterman? 
Answer: Happy Friday Guy became viral. And the virus spread.
You see every single Friday at the same time and same place you could count on Happy Friday Guy. He was consistent. And he never missed a Friday.
His message was very simple – Happy Friday! Who wouldn’t appreciate someone going out of his or her way to wish everyone a Happy Friday (and occasionally pass out candy)?
He created a contagious feeling. People felt good when Happy Friday Guy was around. He brought a sense of cheer, joy and hope to your Friday no matter what had taken place earlier in the day. And you better believe it spread throughough Ball State. His Facebook group grew to over 5,000 members (back then this was alot for a Facebook group, but due to inactivity this number has slowly dropped). His YouTube video has over 18,000 views. Happy Friday Guy even had a blog and was selling t-shirts.
What if we all take a few minutes each Friday to reach out to a group of people within our network simply be sending them a message online or calling them just to wish them a Happy Friday? I think we can learn something from Happy Friday Guy.
Check out the video below to see Happy Friday Guy in action:
Thanks. Its good to actually know that the time I spent, doing what I did, actually still affects people today. That may be another sub-point to your observation. The ripple of effects you can have, long after the actual “action” you take has passed, is astonishing. Over 4+ years after starting a phenomenon single-handedly, I can say: I’ve been contacted by people on multiple continents, I’ve seen new “heroes” created on multiple campuses, and I’ve seen what I did actually make a difference. Its remarkable and inspiring to know that we CAN make a difference, and its not going to have to revolve around who we elect, how much money, or how much power we have. We simply have to have a message, have a purpose, and stay true to both. Thanks for noticing, and I hope that you, too, will be able to experience the joy of changing the world (or maybe just a small subset of it)
Happy Friday Guy!
I was not sure if you were still around…I am glad to find out you are. Very awesome story in your comments about how the phenomenon continues to live on well after the fact. This entire blog post was prompted by me sitting at work one Friday thinking about the joy you used to bring every Friday back in college. Knowing your personality, I am sure you are still out there spreading joy to another group of people.
Hope all is well and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment on my blog. Best Wishes
This is great!! What a perfect example of viral marketing. He should be making millions by now!
Rachael,
Thank you for your blog comment. The Happy Friday Guy is someone that impacted many BSU students’ lives in a positive way. It was just amazing to me how 3 years after the fact one Friday I was thinking about Happy Friday guy…I just had to do a case study!
Best Wishes,
Derek