Virality can be engineered by combining three key ingredients: something controversial, something funny, and something taken out of its usual context. According to Eric Zhu, blending these elements makes for a powerful and shareable story, as exemplified by the concept of sperm racing.

Instead of simply announcing a temporary app icon change, Duolingo's social team created a multi-week narrative where their mascot died. This transformed a routine product decision into a massive, co-created story with the community, showing how social-first thinking can amplify even small product updates into major brand moments.

Housel cites his book's disproportionate, unexplainable success in India and Brazil as evidence that most viral phenomena are attributable to luck. This serves as a lesson in humility for creators and businesses, suggesting that trying to engineer or replicate massive viral success is often a futile effort.

Major historical upheavals, like the 1966 Cultural Revolution, occurred during the last "Fire Horse" year. This correlation fuels social media discussions and public anxiety, linking astrological cycles to predictions of political instability and creating a sense of foreboding.

Instead of a standalone ad, Elf Beauty and Duolingo collaborated on a commercial that tapped into the hype around Bad Bunny's performance. This allowed them to split costs, target a similar demographic, and capitalize on a massive, pre-existing cultural conversation.

Creating viral content requires a formula: identify a dominant fandom driving conversation, understand the target platform's user base, and find a brand-relevant angle within hours. It's a strategic process of connecting cultural moments to your brand in near real-time, not a random act.

Even B2B firms can capitalize on fastvertising when they unexpectedly enter the public conversation. The company Astronomer, after its executives were part of a viral 'Kiss Cam' moment, created a clever ad with Gwyneth Paltrow to explain what their business actually does.

Iconic campaigns like the Dulux dog were accidental. Marketing success isn't about perfectly engineered plans, but about increasing exposure to "upside good fortune" and having the skill to recognize and double down on a lucky break when it happens.

By connecting their own Vatican PR stunt with a breaking news story about Dennis Rodman in Pyongyang, Paddy Power created an audacious, high-impact campaign. This demonstrates how creatively linking disparate, real-time events can generate massive, unexpected marketing opportunities.