"From San Fran to Japan, Bratislava to France // Probably need a translator by the way I expand." – Call Me Ace, Out Of Office

It started with my 3-year old. You can instantly tell when something’s off with her. She’s too extroverted to be this downbeat.

Moments after putting her to bed, I heard it: the enraging sound of her dinner leaving the same place it entered, spreading out all over her sheets.

Two days later, her 2-year old sister does the same exact thing (they really do act like twins 🥹).

Now, I’m a reformed Jamaican married to an Ethiopian woman, which means I share food off my plate with my kids. As I write this, I may need to go back to the days of “what’s mine is mine,“ but lemme finish...

At the end of that week, after my last work call, I suddenly feel nauseous. Have I been staring too much at the screen? Am I just giddy about the potential opportunities to come?

No. I also caught the stomach virus. Fortunately, I was working from home, and there’s a bathroom and sofa in my office. That’s where I spent the rest of that day.

Within 12 hours, my postpartum wife and recently born baby were also out for the count. It was truly a viral moment.

The rest of that weekend we spent at home bonding over our shared experience and spurring each other on the road to recovery. We were also sent a “get well soon” gift from a nearby friend. Dare I call this, a network effect?

The Power of Referral Marketing

I don't know where my daughter caught the virus from, but we know it was from direct contact with someone. Most likely a close friend at daycare.

When the doctor tried to explain gastroenteritis to us, it sounded like gibberish. She discussed stats, showed us pamphlets, but none of it felt personal to us.

But having no desire to eat or ability to keep anything down, that was real life. No ad could possibly translate or help me feel that lived experience.

What kind of marketing are you running for your art? Are you promoting just another "common cold" – barely standing out from the crowd? Where no one – not even the doctor – is concerned or giving it a second thought?

Or are people responding to your art like a stomach virus – life-changing, stopping folks in their tracks, bringing loved ones together, creating a shared experience?

Maybe I'm being dramatic. But I do believe that the best type of marketing is referral and word-of-mouth marketing. And that comes from genuine connections, relationships, and community.

82% of consumers say they trust referrals from people they know, and referral marketing generates 3–5x higher conversion rates than paid ads (source).

So when a friend shares with another friend, that's the power of referral marketing. That's how all successful products – and gastroenteritis – spread. And that should be an essential part of your business model. Full stop.