Manchester United launch viral video ...

In a move likely to be echoed by their compatriots, Manchester United have become the first football team in the Premiership to launch a viral video campaign.

Aimed at the promotion and sales of season tickets, the campaign shows a fan's efforts to get hold of one, and is being rolled out as part of the club's One United membership scheme. A mix of direct mail and print is also being used to alert 450,000 fans to the promo, and these will also act as a profile raiser for the club.

In a further development, fans are also being encouraged o visit the campaign site and upload their own content, as well as view that made available online by other supporters.

Stephen Hall, ticketing and membership manager at Manchester United, said, "Viral campaigns are a new area for the club but it presented us with an exciting opportunity and a further way to communicate with our fan base. We will be considering this form of fan communication for future campaigns"

The use of viral marketing technology is becoming increasingly commonplace amongst big name brands - Coca Cola recently moved into the viral marketplace under a revised strategy - and the adoption of a 'social network' area for fans to generate their own content sees yet another attempt by a commercial operator to ape the approach of sites such as Myspace and Youtube.

The video can be seen at http://www.seasonticketfeeling.com/