how to say "to go viral"?

Question

I can see from an internet search that виральный (edit: вирусный) has the meaning of "viral", but what is the translation of the phrase "to go viral", e.g., "that video has gone viral"?

Answer 1

We use the word вирусный. There are Russian expressions like вирусный маркетинг, вирусная реклама, вирусное видео.

That video has gone viral. - Это видео стало вирусным. / Это видео превратилось в вирусное.

The English Wiki article on viral marketing has a counterpart in the Russian Wiki called "Вирусный маркетинг".

This marketing-related meaning of the Russian word вирусный is quite new, but quite established and widely used.

Answer 2

To say "to go viral" within the meaning of something became widely known, popular, spreading from one to another, you can use the set phrase:

That video has gone viral. -- Видеоролик пошёл в народ.

or similar idiom:

That video has gone viral. -- Это видео пошло в массы.

Answer 3

You can also hear "Это видео разошлось" or variants like that. As for me, I would not say "Это видео превратилось в вирусное".

Answer 4

I think I've heard people sometimes use the expression "сарафанное радио" as a synonym for viral marketing -- though I think the expression predates viral marketing (and originally meant something closer to "hearsay" or "word of mouth").