viral before it was cool

george creel was creating viral campaigns before the phrase existed

George Creel created a successful viral campaign decades before viral described anything desirable.

Creel was the architect of the campaign that built American support to enter World War I. Using a coordinated set of strategies that would make any viral marketer proud, Creel convinced a critical mass of Americans that war the right and honorable choice.

Creel’s story is the subject of Alan Axelrod’s new book: Selling the Great War: The Making of American Propaganda. It’s great stuff that’s worth reading.

You can find an interview with the author at reason.com.