White papers and webinars proliferate now, a common lead generation tool for many companies. This week's free download from FreeTheSoldiers is an excellent example of viral marketing that uses a free download to gain attention for its advocacy message.


I received the link in an e-mail from a friend in Chicago. With the Passover holiday beginning on Saturday evening, the timing is perfect. So, what's the free download?
It's a PDF called, "A Passover Prayer for Israel's Missing Soldiers." It doesn't matter if you're Jewish or not, the concept is really smart and the timing ideal. Isn't that what good marketing is?
Across the world, Jewish families and friends are sending each other this download to acknowledge Israel's missing soldiers kidnapped and held captive in Gaza and Lebanon by Hamas and Hizbollah. One of them is just 20 years old.
The campaign, created by United Jewish Communities, is a joint initiative of a broad coalition of Jewish organizations rallying together in a display of solidarity and humanitarianism. The download will likely travel to homes in much of the English-speaking world just in time to print and recite at seder tables.
It's creative; it's easy; it's inexpensive; it's effective; and it's viral.
What do you think of it?