Viral advertising in social media

Authors:
Maria Petrescu
Dr. Pradeep Korgaonkar
Florida Atlantic University
Etended A!stract "to !e pu!lished in the proceedings#
Despite the growing potential and interest in the practitioners world related to
viral advertising and marketing, academic research regarding viral marketing and social
media has been sparse, especially compared with other areas of marketing research
(Allsop, Bassett and Hoskins, 2007 Borroff 2000, !teyer et al" 2007#" $here is still a
limited %nderstanding of the viral techni&%e (Borroff 2000, 'raham and Havlena 2007#"
$he st%dies on the viral concept in advertising have not yet clarified the m%ltit%de of
names and definitions, (electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing*,
(b%++* and (viral advertising* or the effects of the viral concept on the advertising
process and o%tcome"
,revio%s research has noted the necessity to st%dy the nat%re, characteristics and
eval%ation or viral advertising and the most efficient %se of comm%nications among
cons%mers as a means of m%ltiplying a brand-s pop%larity (.hi% et al" 2007, !teyer et al"
2007#" /t is beneficial to st%dy how viral advertising works, the conte0ts in which it
performs best and how it infl%ences brand and ad attit%de formation (.r%+ and 1ill 2002,
3o+inets et al" 2040#"
4
$he ob5ectives of this paper are a# to provide an overview of the past social media
research foc%sing on different aspects of the viral comm%nication, vario%sly termed
(electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing* and (b%++* in order to
clarify the concept of viral advertising, b# to clarify and analy+e the concept of viral
advertising in social media and assess the potential differences that can appear between
traditional advertising medi%m and the new social media and c# to provide a definition to
red%ce the prevailing ambig%ities in the past definitions"
6e show that the key differences between these concepts can be s%mmari+ed in
terms of five key schemes7 a# the platforms %sed, b# traditional comm%nication or
/nternet, c# their ob5ective, d# type of message transmitted and e# orientation of the
comm%nication"
1inally, we define the key concept of o%r st%dy, viral advertising, as unpaid
online distri!ution or communication o$ advertising content and messages $rom
consumer to consumer. $he definition capt%res the key ingredients of viral advertising
and separates it from other forms of advertising" /t does not necessarily need to be done
in an online platform, however the /nternet offers a significantly increased potential of an
ad becoming viral and being having an e0ponentially growing diff%sion rate" /t is m%ch
faster and with a m%ch wider reach to transmit an ad online, either video, a%dio or print
(pict%re# format, thro%gh social media, social networks, e)mail and other platforms"
2
A!stract
$he ob5ectives of this st%dy are to a# provide an overview of the past social media
research foc%sing on different aspects of the viral comm%nication, vario%sly termed
(electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing* and (b%++*, b# clarify
and analy+e the concept of viral advertising in social media and c# provide a definition to
red%ce the prevailing ambig%ities in the past definitions" $he key differences between all
the forms of new online marketing can be s%mmari+ed in terms of the five key schemes7
a# the platforms %sed, b# traditional comm%nication or /nternet, c# their ob5ective, d# type
of message transmitted and e# orientation of the comm%nication" $hese differences are
disc%ssed in order to clarify the n%mero%s concepts related to online marketing"
8
Viral advertising in social media
%. &ntroduction
/n 499:, ;%st and <liver were prophesying the death of traditional, o%tbo%nd
advertising and that, (by the year 2040, new media and the new marketing (=# will be
the dominant paradigm* (p"7>#" 6hile in 2040, traditional advertising is still %p and
r%nning, the second part of the prophecy is not far from the tr%th" <nline marketing and
advertising represent, for s%re, the b%siness trend of the contemporary times (Datta et al"
200>, 1erg%son 2002, ,orter and 'olan 200?, !teyer, 'arcia)Bardidia and @%ester 2007,
p"29#" $he /nternet has impacted different aspects of the b%siness processes, with
marketing representing a significant part of online b%siness activities (3rishnam%rthy and
!ingh 200>, p"?0>#"
/nternet)based advertising is contin%ally growing while the traditional advertising
media s%ch as $A, radio, maga+ines and newspapers are losing terrain in front of the
6eb" $echnology and other factors have significantly evolved and positively affect the
way cons%mers process comm%nications, favoring rapid and efficient information
e0change and interactivity (Bohnson, Br%ner and 3%mar 200?, 3eller 2009#" $he wide %se
of the /nternet has helped managers reali+e the potential of a new technology able to improve the
traditional word)of)mo%th comm%nication, transforming it into an online viral way of
comm%nication with and between cons%mers (Datta et al" 200>#"
Advertising and marketing research st%dies related to the /nternet have mentioned
aspects s%ch as (electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing*, (b%++*
and (viral advertising* (Dobele, $oleman and Beverland, 200>, B%rvetson 4997, ,orter
and 'olan 200?#"
:
Among the many benefits of the /nternet for marketing, this viral potential is one
of the most infl%ential" As ;%st and <liver (499:# predicted, the main benefits of online
marketing are represented by its high capacity of reach and interactivity leading to
marketing efficiencies" Coreover, another aspect is to be noted in this conte0t7 the
evol%tion of advertising from invol%ntary to vol%ntary, while the cons%mer is
increasingly in control regarding not only the media, b%t also the delivery process of
advertising (3eller 2009, ;%st and <liver 499:#" $he /nternet allows significantly more
interaction, targeted comm%nication, increased reach and better res%lts eval%ation, all at a
low cost (Derbai0 and Aanhamme 2008, 3o+inets et al" 2040#"
;esearchers and practitioners have noted that cons%mers seem increasingly
comfortable with online viral advertising campaigns that enco%rage individ%als to pass on
a marketing message to others by /nternet or e)mail and world renowned companies, s%ch
as Dike or B%dweiser, have s%ccessf%lly %sed viral advertising in social media, Eo%$%be,
1acebook and blogs (Borroff 2000, Corrissey 2002, !teenb%rgh et al" 2009#" 1rom
traditional platforms to /nternet media, cons%mers have been fo%nd to val%e the non)
commercial, non)imposed, personal so%rces of advertising information, peer)to)peer
comm%nication m%ch better than the paid ads, representing one of the main advantages of
viral marketing ('illy et al", 4992 3irby, 200? !teyer et al" 2007#"
$his seems to be only the beginning, since eCarketer estimates indicate that
online video advertising in the Fnited !tates will increase from G4"4 billion in 2009 to
G:"4 billion in 2048, with online advertising spending rising from :"8 percent to 44"0
percent of the overall advertising e0pendit%res ($sai 2009#" Devertheless, even today, the
online marketing potential, especially in social media and websites s%ch as 1acebook,
>
$witter and Eo%$%be, is %nbelievable" 1acebook anno%nced in 1ebr%ary 2040 that it
reached :00 million active %sers" <ne month later, Eo%$%be p%blici+ed on its blog that it
reached a record n%mber of ho%rs of video %ploaded per min%te7 2:, the worth of a whole
day of Eo%$%be watching %ploaded in 5%st a min%te"
Despite this growing potential, however, academic research regarding viral
marketing and social media has been sparse, especially compared with other areas of
marketing research (Allsop, Bassett and Hoskins, 2007 Borroff 2000, !teyer et al" 2007#"
$here is still a limited %nderstanding of the viral techni&%e (Borroff 2000, 'raham and
Havlena 2007#" $he st%dies on the viral concept in advertising have not yet clarified the
m%ltit%de of names and definitions, (electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral
marketing*, (b%++* and (viral advertising* or the effects of the viral concept on the
advertising process and o%tcome"
,revio%s research has noted the necessity to st%dy the nat%re, characteristics and
eval%ation or viral advertising and the most efficient %se of comm%nications among
cons%mers as a means of m%ltiplying a brand-s pop%larity (.hi% et al" 2007, !teyer et al"
2007#" /t is beneficial to st%dy how viral advertising works, the conte0ts in which it
performs best and how it infl%ences brand and ad attit%de formation (.r%+ and 1ill 2002,
3o+inets et al" 2040#"
$he aims of this paper are a# to provide an overview of the past social media
research foc%sing on different aspects of the viral comm%nication, vario%sly termed
(electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing* and (b%++* in order to
clarify the concept of viral advertising, b# to clarify and analy+e the concept of viral
advertising in social media and assess the potential differences that can appear between
?
traditional advertising medi%m and the new social media and c# to provide a definition to
red%ce the prevailing ambig%ities in the past definitions" $he key differences between all
the forms of new online marketing are presented in $able 4"
[please insert Table 1 about here]
As $able 4 shows, the key differences between these concepts can be s%mmari+ed
in terms of the five key schemes7 a# the platforms %sed, b# traditional comm%nication or
/nternet, c# their ob5ective, d# type of message transmitted and e# orientation of the
comm%nication" $hese differences will be f%rther disc%ssed in the following sections of
this st%dy"
'. (ocial media and advertising
!ocial media incl%des a broad range of online platforms, s%ch as social
networking sites, brand)sponsored virt%al worlds, open virt%al worlds, video and photo
comm%nities, and social news" $hey became powerf%l word)of)mo%th comm%nication
medi%m and changed the way people comm%nicate and keep in to%ch with their social
gro%ps (Anderson, 2002, H%ng, 2007#" !ocial media became pop%lar given its advantages
in allowing comm%nication, information sharing, keeping in to%ch with friends and
finding new friends" $he highly s%ccessf%l Eo%$%be allows video sharing, 1acebook and
Cy!pace provide a platform for social networking, $witter allows information and news
sharing, while other more speciali+ed websites, s%ch as Hinked/n, allow networking with
specific p%rposes (Anderson, 2002 $%ten 2002#" !ome of them are based on established
networks of friends, while others allow sharing with anyone interested" $%ten (2002#
divides social networks into (4# egocentric (1acebook I social networking# and (2# ob5ect
7
centric (s%ch as Eo%$%be I video sharing#" $he egocentric networks are foc%sed on
individ%als, s%ch as networks of friends, while the ob5ect centered ones deal with ob5ects
s%ch as pict%res or video"
/n this conte0t, social)media advertising %ses the social comm%nities, s%ch as
social networks and virt%al worlds as an advertising medi%m, 5%st as the $A is %sed by
traditional advertising" !ocial media becomes a marketing channel" However, the r%les of
the game totally change, since the cons%mer is in control" $he advantages of %sing social
media incl%de potential interaction between cons%mers and brands, viral potential of
being diff%sed in short time and for a very low cost (Barefoot J !+abo 2040 ;iegner
2007#" !ocial media also increases the impact of word)of)mo%th within a personKs social
circle" $he interactivity potential and the cons%mer being in control also lead to an
increasing &%antity of cons%mer generated media (Diederhoffer et al" 2007#" Brands can
receive a significant 5%mp)start from the viral comm%nication of brand messages, given
the diff%sion range of advertising messages within social media" A friend tells a friend
who tells his friends and so on, the rate increases as the information travels the social
channel" As a message gets transmitted from person to person, the distrib%tion potential
increases e0ponentially within the social networks ($%ten 2002#" /nteractivity, vol%ntary
participation and easy transformation from spectator into actor promote comm%nication,
sharing and cooperation"
/n this st%dy, we will be looking at two of the main players in the market,
1acebook and Eo%$%be" Lach of them represents a different type of social network,
egocentric vers%s ob5ect centric ($%ten, 2002#"
1acebookKs pop%larity has increased dramatically lately" 1or marketers, it offers
2
n%mero%s tools, from targeted display ads, to (personal* company profiles where
companies can share information and attract (fans* or (friends*" 1acebook Beacon
provides a channel to virally distrib%te information abo%t %ser brand)related activity
(Barefoot J !+abo 2040 $%ten 2002#" !ince it incl%des networks of friends, 1acebook
presents a h%ge potential to e0ponentially increase the distrib%tion of a message"
Fnlike 1acebook, Eo%$%be is an ob5ect centered media, incl%ding %ser)generated
content, generally video" Here is where videos have the highest potential to go viral" /t
presents the option of creating social networks on the site and sharing information and, in
the same time, it is accessible to people o%tside the network or witho%t registration or
creation of a personal profile" Advertisers can post to Eo%$%be and advertise their
information, can let the cons%mers do the viral 5ob by transmitting the information
forward, or can even let posts occ%r organically, thro%gh fans that capt%re video and post
it the site (;iegner 2007 $%ten 2002#" Anyway, the level of e0pos%re and media coverage
potential is significant" Fsing Eo%$%be as an advertising media is m%ch less e0pensive
than %sing $A commercials" $he cons%mer)generated ads also have the potential to
become viral" <n the other hand, companies also post their own ads with the hopes that
they become viral" $he r%les of the game are changed in this conte0t" $he c%stomers need
to like the ads in order to be transmitted" $he ads also need to have certain characteristics,
s%ch as h%moro%s or shocking scenes, to become viral, which may be different from the
$A re&%irements"
). Viral advertising
$ho%gh not e0tensive, the advertising research st%dies related to the /nternet %se
9
n%mero%s concepts, s%ch as (electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral
marketing*, (b%++* and (viral advertising* (Bampo, 2002 Dobele, $oleman and
Beverland, 200>, B%rvetson 499?, 3o+inets et al" 2040 ,orter and 'olan 200?#" !ome of
them are %sed interchangeably, however, they are not the same thing, or at least there are
n%ances to them" B%st as the terms advertising and marketing are different, so are the
terms viral marketing and viral advertising" 'iven the contin%ally developing /nternet and
the benefits it can bring for marketing and advertising, in the following we will attempt to
clarify these concepts" $his clarification can prove beneficial for f%t%re research and, in
the same time, is essential for this st%dy, which will be foc%sing on viral advertising"
$herefore, in the following section we will be revising the key concepts related to viral
and /nternet marketing and advertising7 word)of)mo%th, viral marketing, b%++, word of
mo%se and viral advertising"
A# *ord+o$+mouth "*,M#
Arndt (49?7# defined word)of)mo%th as oral, person)to)person comm%nication between a
receiver and a comm%nicator whom the receiver perceives as non)commercial, regarding a brand, prod%ct
or service" !hortly, it is a conversation abo%t prod%cts or brands" However, its importance comes nothing
short of significant, as Arndt (49?7# notes7 (it is one of the most important, if not the most
important so%rce of information for the cons%mer*"
Distinct from other types of comm%nication, traditional word)of)mo%th %ses
verbal comm%nication dispersed from one person to another thro%gh different media,
willingly and from personal initiative, %nlike other paid comm%nications, s%ch as
testimonials (Datta et al", 200> 'elb and !%ndaram, 2002 Henricks, 4992#" /t represents
40
an informal form of comm%nication between family, friends and cons%mers based on
cons%mersK personal e0periences with a firm or a prod%ct
$he infl%ence of word)of)mo%th is efficient especially regarding similar prod%cts
with similar brand and advertising eval%ations, beca%se the prod%ct is eval%ated and
adopted thanks to word)of)mo%th (Harcene%0 2007#" 6ord)of)mo%th has been fo%nd to
have a higher impact than advertising or personal selling on information dissemination,
cons%mer b%ying behavior and a significant infl%ence in the diff%sion of new prod%cts
(Bay%s 492> .r%+ and 1ill, 2002 Datta et al", 200> Derbai0 and Aanhamme, 2008
H%ng, 2007 Coney, 'illy and 'raham, 4992 ;ogers, 4928#"
An important advantage of word)of)mo%th as platform of brand information spreading is
its credibility and perceived so%rce reliability (Brea+eale, 2009# since the opinion leaders do it
vol%ntarily, speak from personal e0perience and, at least theoretically, donKt get paid to do this"
Also, the message is interactive, bidirectional between cons%mers, not %nidirectional as in
traditional advertising and, especially for credence and e0perience goods, it can help the
cons%mer alleviate the risk of trying a new prod%ct (Derbai0 and Aanhamme, 2008 Hogan,
Hemon and Hibai, 200:#" $here is no attempt to control the opinion or behavior of the
cons%mer, as is paid advertising (Arndt, 49?7#" $he cons%mer also feels closer to its peer
comm%nicating its e0perience, beca%se of the (people like me* perception (Allsop,
Bassett and Hoskins, 2007#"
Another essential aspect is that word)of)mo%th can be either positive or negative
(Arndt, 49?7 Derbai0 and Aanhamme, 2008#" Degative 6<C is considered one of the
forms of c%stomer complaining behavior and has been fo%nd to negatively affect the
probability of p%rchase (Arndt, 49?7#"
44
6hile 6<C occ%rs nat%rally between cons%mers, researchers note that there are
marketing activities implemented in order to intentionally infl%ence the per)to)peer
comm%nications (3o+inets et al", 2040#" At the same time, as we will see in the following,
word)of)mo%th is an important aspect in the modern comm%nication media, s%ch as e)mail, blogs
and social media (!teyer, 'arcia)Bardidia and @%ester, 2007 !mith et al", 2007#"
-# Viral marketing
$he origin of the term viral marketing is as varied as its definitions" $he most
research articles attrib%te the form%lation of the term to B%rvetson and Draper (4997#"
$hey %sed the term to describe the free email service that Hotmail was providing, with a
message attached to each sent e)mail from Hotmail presenting this message" B%rvetson
and DraperKs definition is one of the most cited in the literat%re on viral marketing
(Bampo, 2002 .r%+ and 1ill, 2002 Datta et al", 200> 1attah, 2000 !wanepoel, Hye and
;%gimbana, 2009#" <ther st%dies cite Harvard professor ;ayport (499?# as mentioning
the term in 499? (3irby, 200? !h%kla, 2040# and an even earlier %se of the term in 4929,
in a ,. Fser maga+ine article on Cacintosh (3irby, 200?#" Do matter the origin of the
term, its definition needs some clarifications, beca%se it has been e&%ated with so many
other concepts that the differences between them are no longer clear7 word)of)mo%th,
electronic word of mo%th, word)of)mo%se, b%++, viral advertising"
B%rvetson and Draper (4997# consider viral marketing as online word)of)mo%th,
enhanced by the %se of networks" Airal marketing has also been defined as email %se as
word)of)mo%th referral endorsement from one client to other prospective clients and the
process of enco%raging individ%als to pass along favorable marketing information they
receive online (Dobele, $oleman and Beverland, 200>#" /t is also seen as marketing
42
techni&%es that %se pre)e0isting social networks to prod%ce e0ponential increases in brand
awareness (Datta et al" 200># or electronic, online form of 6<C (Anderson, 2002 .r%+ and
1ill 2002#"
<ther a%thors even consider the term viral marketing and viral advertising
interchangeably (Anderson 2002#" Bampo (2002# considers viral marketing a strategy that
enco%rages individ%als to propagate a message, creating the potential for e0ponential
growth in its dispersion" 6elker (2002# %ses the term viral comm%nication as (strategies
that allow an easier, accelerated, and cost red%ced transmission of messages by creating
environments for an self)replicating, e0ponentially increasing diff%sion, spirit%ali+ation,
and impact of the message* (p":#"
Airal marketing is also defined as (a marketing strategy that enco%rages
cons%mers to pass along messages to others in order to generate added e0pos%re*
(,l%mmer et al" 2007, p"2?8# or (a companyKs activities to make %se of c%stomersK
comm%nication networks to promote and distrib%te prod%cts* (Helm 2000, p"4>2#" /t
relies on c%stomers to pass forward the message %sing digital platforms (Helm, 2000#"
Altho%gh the terms are %sed interchangeably in the literat%re, we find differences
between 6<C, electronic 6<C and viral marketing, making viral marketing a
distinctive term on its own" 1irst, 6<C is %s%ally local and slow, while viral marketing
can be global and, in the online platform instantaneo%s, has the e0ponential growth
potential (Datta et al", 200>#" !econd, we also accept 1erg%sonKs (2002# position, that the
difference between viral marketing and 6<C is one of ca%se and effect" Airal marketing,
like infl%encer marketing programs, and viral videos, b%ilds awareness and b%++ and is
considered the ca%se" ,ositive 6<C, on the other hand, theoretically leads to trial and
ac&%isition, and is the effect of viral marketing (1erg%son 2002#"
48
$herefore, viral marketing incl%des the online or offline activities performed by
managers and marketers in order to make the message viral and have electronic 6<C as
effect, with its e0ponentially growing message diff%sion" /t no longer represents only a
marketing)to)cons%mer comm%nication, b%t also a cons%mer)to)cons%mer
comm%nication, enco%raged by marketers (.hi% et al" 2007#" $he control moves from the
marketer to the cons%mer, b%t the marketer still maintains a role in trying to enco%rage
the cons%mers to comm%nicate (Dobele, $oleman and Beverland, 200>#"
A s%ccessf%l viral marketing campaign enco%rages individ%al cons%mers to
forward marketing messages to others, which, thanks to the potential of the /nternet,
creates the capacity to have the message transmitted to, like its name states, tho%sands of
people (.hi% et al" 2007 Dobele et al", 2007 !h%kla, 2040#" $he viral marketing ass%mes
this epidemic message diff%sion potential, it mobili+es the comm%nity (!tanbo%li 2008#,
given the wide access to information and comm%nication online"
.# -u// marketing
B%++ marketing is (the amplification of initial marketing efforts by third parties
thro%gh their passive or active infl%ence* ($homas 200:, p"?:#, spreading the message
abo%t new prod%cts or brand e0periences" /t is again %nder the control of the cons%mer
and it is a%to)generated, transmitted from per)to)peer" 6hile it is sometimes %sed as a
synonym for viral marketing, there are a few differences noted in research" Airal
marketing is reserved to the electronic media, while b%++ marketing can %se different
medi%ms, incl%ding traditional word of mo%th or physical interaction (!wanepoel, Hye and
;%gimbana 2009#"
4:
However, the most significant differences between viral marketing and b%++ is
again in terms of process and o%tp%t, as we saw in the case of differentiating between
word)of)mo%th and viral marketing" B%++, 5%st like word)of)mo%th, often times is an
o%tp%t or conse&%ence of viral marketing (Bampo, 2002 Dobele et al", 200>#"
Harcene%0 (2007# notes that there are two types of b%++7 a commercial type and a
non)commercial type" $he commercial b%++ is fo%nded on marketing strategies that
contrib%ted to its creation and growth, s%pporting the comm%nication e0change between
cons%mers, and especially enco%raging opinion leaders to speak o%t" <n the other hand,
the non)commercial b%++ is a priori, based on the willingness of cons%mers to spread the
message and the information on their e0periences" Both of them are present on the
/nternet, however, the first type incl%de rather professional e0pert opinions, while the
second one is %ser generated content by the cons%mers (Harcene%0, 2007#" As we will see
in the following and as the disc%ssion on viral marketing notes, this second type,
cons%mer)to)cons%mer comm%nication, has a higher impact and diff%sion potential"
D# *ord o$ mouse or e*,M
Llectronic 6<C, or word of mo%se (Brea+eale, 2009#, is (any positive or negative
statement made by potential, act%al, or former c%stomers abo%t a prod%ct or company, which is
made available to a m%ltit%de of people and instit%tions via the /nternet* (Hennig)$h%ra% et al"
200:, p"89#" Basically, it is similar to word)of)mo%th, e0cept is benefits from the diff%sion
blessings offered by the /nternet, meaning the viral spreading potential" /t can %se different
comm%nication platforms, s%ch as reviews, blogs, e)mail, social media and chat rooms" /t is,
again, %ser generated and transmitted from cons%mer to cons%mer and is, basically, %nlimited
regarding the cons%mer reach potential (Helm 2000#"
However, %nlike traditional 6<C, where the marketer really has no control over
4>
it, the e6<C presents some control opport%nities for marketers, s%ch as transparency
and access to reviews and c%stomer eval%ations" $his is important, considering that 0with
abo%t 2>M of the comments critical or negative, word of mo%th c%ts both ways, and
marketers m%st be prepared for both positive and negative* (,l%mmer et al", 2007#"
<ne significant difference between 6<C and e6<C is also who selects the Na%thorityN to
provide comments ('elb and !%ndaram, 2002#, especially since e6<C presents the opport%nity to
access not only the opinions of friends, family and personal social circle, b%t also those of e0perts or
complete strangers" Fnlike in personal 6<C, online the only thing yo% might know abo%t a reviewer is a
%sername"
!ome of the noted differences when compared with 6<C are that e6<C %s%ally
comes from people with strong opinions, rather %nknown persons, provides confidentiality to the
cons%mers and has the advantage of written vs" spoken word and some a%thority that derives from it
('elb and !%ndaram, 2002#"
,l%mmer (2007# also disting%ishes between organic and amplified word of mo%th"
<rganic 6<C is based on cons%mersK e0periences and desire to share them, while the
amplified type are o%tcomes of marketing campaigns meant to raise brand awareness"
$hese incl%de all kind of tools marketers %se to promote e6<C, s%ch as the creation of
online for%ms"
,revio%s research fo%nd that e6<C comm%nication is perceived to be a reliable
so%rce of information by c%stomers and affects the perceived overall val%e of the firmKs
offering ('r%en, <smonbekov and .+aplewski 200?#"
E# Viral advertising
4?
6hile some st%dies %se the term viral marketing and viral advertising
interchangeably, we will attempt to clarify the concept of viral advertising" ,orter and
'olan (200?# define viral advertising as (%npaid peer)to)peer comm%nication of
provocative content originating from an identified sponsor %sing the /nternet to pers%ade
or infl%ence an a%dience to pass along the content to others* (p"29#" 3irby (200?# writes
that viral advertising incl%des creating contagio%s advertising messages that get to be
transmitted from peer to peer in order to increase brand awareness"
/n this conte0t, we define viral advertising as %npaid online distrib%tion or
comm%nication of advertising content and messages from peer to peer" /t does not
necessarily need to be done in an online platform, however the /nternet offers a
significantly increased potential of an ad becoming viral and being having an
e0ponentially growing diff%sion rate" /t is m%ch faster and with a m%ch wider reach to
transmit an ad online, either video, a%dio or print (pict%re# format, thro%gh social media,
social networks, e)mail and other platforms" Airal advertising incl%des different forms,
the link of a video ad from, for e0ample, Eo%$%be, being transmitted to peers thro%gh e)
mail or social media"
.lassical viral advertising e0amples are the Nwhass%pON viral ad from B%dweiser
or the $ro5an condoms- 200: Nse0 <lympicsN, downloaded more than :0 million times
(;eid 200>#" <bvio%sly, it relies on the cons%mersK transmitting the message f%rther to
other cons%mers within their social circle (which does not mean only friends or family in
the /nternet age#" Airal advertising is %nder the control of the cons%mers, if they donKt like
it, this not only affects the attit%de toward the ad or brand, b%t also their intention to
47
f%rther transmit the message" $he cons%mer needs to like the ad eno%gh not only for
himPher to b%y the prod%ct, b%t to also pass the message forward"
Airal advertising is personal and even tho%gh it is from an identified sponsor, it
does not mean the companies pay for its distrib%tion" Cost of the classical viral ads
circ%lating online are ads paid for by the sponsor brand, la%nched either on their own
platform (company webpage or social media profile# or on social media websites s%ch as
Eo%$%be" .ons%mers get the page link from there or copy the entire ad and pass if
forward thro%gh e)mail or posting it on a blog, webpage, social media profile"
$here are many disc%ssions on the different antecedents and strategies that make
an ad viral" 1or e0ample, .r%+ and 1ill (2002# notes two viral forms, random and placed,
differing with regards to place mode (paid or non)paid# and whether they incl%de a call)
to)action or not" !tanbo%li (2008# also writes that the key point is for marketers to take
advantage of these propagation opport%nities and be able to respond to the e0pectations
of /nternet s%rfers" /n the /nternet era, viral advertising is a h%ge opport%nity, especially
for companies who want to take advantage of a low cost advertising sol%tion, however,
(there are certain r%les that one m%st respect* (!tanbo%li 2008, p"97#" Coreover, viral ads
can also be %sed for prod%cts that do not benefit of the (wow* factor, in order to generate
b%++ on the topic, as long as the marketers are able to come %p with a viral ad (3irby
200?#"
.onclusions
/nternet)based advertising is contin%ally growing, while technology and other
factors have significantly evolved and positively affect the way cons%mers process
comm%nications, favoring rapid and efficient information e0change and interactivity
42
(Bohnson, Br%ner and 3%mar 200?, 3eller 2009#" /n the internet conte0t, advertising and
marketing research st%dies related to the /nternet have mentioned aspects s%ch as
(electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing*, (b%++* and (viral
advertising* (Dobele, $oleman and Beverland, 200>, B%rvetson 4997, ,orter and 'olan
200?#"
$his st%dy provided an overview of the past social media research foc%sing on
different aspects of the viral comm%nication, and provided clarification of the definitions
and differences between the vario%s terms %sed in the relation marketing)/nternet7
(electronic word)of)mo%th*, (word)of)mo%se*, (viral marketing* and (b%++* in order to
clarify the concept of viral advertising"
6e showed that the key differences between these concepts can be s%mmari+ed in
terms of the platforms %sed, traditional comm%nication or /nternet, their ob5ective, type
of message being transmitted, actors and orientation of the comm%nication" 1inally, we
define the key concept of o%r st%dy, viral advertising, as unpaid online distri!ution or
communication o$ advertising content and messages $rom consumer to consumer.
$he definition capt%res the key ingredients of viral advertising and separates it from other
forms of advertising"
49
1e$erences
Allsop, Dee $", Bryce ;" Bassett and Bames A" Hoskins (2007#, (6ord of Co%th
;esearch7 ,rinciples and Applications*, Journal of Advertising Research, :7(:#
892):44"
Anderson, !teve (2002#, (Fsing !ocial Detworks to CarketK* Rough Notes, 4>4(2# 44:)
44>"
Arndt, Bohan (49?7#, (;ole of ,rod%ct);elated .onversations in the Diff%sion of a Dew
,rod%ct,* Journal of Marketing Research, :(8# 294)29>"
Bampo, Ca%ro, Cichael $" Lwing, Dineli ;" Cather, David !tewart and Cark 6allace
(2002#, ($he Lffects of the !ocial !tr%ct%re of Digital Detworks on Airal
Carketing ,erformance,* Information !stems Research, 49(8# 278I290"
Barefoot, Darren and B%lie !+abo (2040#, "riends #ith $enefits% A ocial Media
Marketing &andbook% Do !tarch ,ress"
Bay%s, Barry H" (492>#, (6ord of Co%th7 the /ndirect Lffects of Carketing Lfforts,*
Journal of Advertising Research, 2> 84)89"
Borroff, ;yan (2000#, (Airal Carketing,* 'recision Marketing, 20 42"
Brea+eale, Cichael (2009#, (6ord of Co%se" An Assessment of Llectronic 6ord)of)
Co%th ;esearch,* International Journal of Market Research, >4(8# 297)842"
.hi%, H%ng).hang, Ei).hing Hsieh, Ea)H%i 3ao and Conle Hee (2007#, ($he
Determinants of Lmail ;eceivers- Disseminating Behaviors on the /nternet,*
Journal of Advertising Research :7(:# >2:)>8:"
.r%+, Danilo and .hris 1ill (2002#, (Lval%ating Airal Carketing7 /solating the 3ey
.riteria,* Marketing Intelligence ( 'lanning, 2?(7# 7:8)7>2"
20
Datta, ,alto ;", Dababrata D" .howdh%ry, Bonya ;" .hakraborty (200>#, (Airal
Carketing7 Dew form of 6ord)of)Co%th thro%gh /nternet,* The $usiness Revie#,
8(2# ?9)7>"
Derbai0, .hristian and Boelle Aanhamme (2008#, (/nd%cing 6ord)of)Co%th by Lliciting
!%rprise I A ,ilot /nvestigation,* Journal of )conomic 's!cholog!, 2: 99I44?"
Dobele, Angela, David $oleman and Cichael Beverland (200>#, (.ontrolled /nfectionQ
!preading the Brand Cessage thro%gh Airal Carketing,* $usiness &ori*ons,
:2(2# 4:8R4:9"
Dobele, Angela, Adam Hindgreen, Cichael Beverland, BoSlle Aanhamme and ;obert van
6i5k (2007#, (6hy ,ass on Airal CessagesO Beca%se $hey .onnect
Lmotionally,* $usiness &ori*ons, >0 294I80:"
1erg%son, ;ick (2002#, (6ord of Co%th and Airal Carketing7 $aking the $emperat%re of
the Hottest $rends in Carketing,* Journal of +onsumer Marketing, 2>(8# 479I
422"
'elb, Betsy D" and !%resh !%ndaram (2002#, (Adapting to N6ord of Co%seN,* $usiness
&ori*ons, :>(:# 24)2>"
'illy, Cary ., Bohn H 'raham, Cary 1inley 6olfinbarger and Ha%ra B Eale (4992#, (A
Dyadic !t%dy of /nterpersonal /nformation !earch,* Academ! of Marketing
cience Journal, 2?(2# 28)400"
'raham, Beffrey and 6illiam Havlena (2007#, (1inding the (Cissing Hink*7 Advertising-s
/mpact on 6ord of Co%th, 6eb !earches, and !ite Aisits,* Journal of Advertising
Research, :7(:# :27):29"
'r%en, $homas 6", $alai <smonbekov and Andrew B" .+aplewski (200?#, (e6<C7 $he
24
/mpact of .%stomer)to).%stomer <nline 3now)How L0change on .%stomer
Aal%e and Hoyalty,* Journal of $usiness Research, >9 ::9 I :>?"
Helm, !abrina (2000#, (Airal Carketing7 Lstablishing .%stomer ;elationship by T6ord)
of)Co%seK*, )lectronic Markets, 40(8# 4>2)4?4"
Hennig)$h%ra%, $horsten, 3evin ," 'winner, 'ianfranco 6alsh, and Dwayne D"
'remler, D"D" (200:#, (Llectronic 6ord)of)Co%th via .ons%mer)<pinion
,latforms7 6hat Cotivates .ons%mers to Artic%late $hemselves on the
/nternetO,* Journal of Interactive Marketing, 42(4# 82)>2"
Henricks, Cark (4992#, N!pread the word7 advertising by word)of)mo%thN, )ntrepreneur,
2?(2# 420)42?"
Hogan, Bohn L", 3atherine D" Hemon and Barak Hibai (200:#, (@%antifying the ;ipple7
6ord of)Co%th and Advertising Lffectiveness,* Journal of Advertising Research,
::(8# 274)220"
H%ng, 3ineta H" and !tella Eiyan Hi (2007#, ($he /nfl%ence of e6<C on Airt%al
.ons%mer .omm%nities7 !ocial .apital, .ons%mer Hearning, and Behavioral
<%tcomes,* Journal of Advertising Research, :7(:# :2>):9>"
Bohnson, 'race B", 'ordon ." Br%ner // and Anand 3%mar (200?#, (/nteractivity and /ts
1acets ;evisited" $heory and Lmpirical $est,* Journal of Advertising, 8>(:# 8>I
>2"
B%rvetson, !teve and $im Draper (4997#, (Airal Carketing ,henomenon L0plained,*
;etrieved April 4>
th
2040 from http7PPwww"df5"comPnewsParticleU2?"shtml
3eller, 3evin Hane (2009#, (B%ilding !trong Brands in a Codern Carketing
.omm%nications Lnvironment,* Journal of Marketing +ommunications, 4>(2#
22
489V4>>"
3irby, B%stin and ,a%l Carsden (200?#, +onnected Marketing The -iral, $u** and .ord
of Mouth Revolution, Llsevier"
3o+inets, ;obert A", 3ristine de Aalck, Andrea ."6o5nicki and !arah B"!"6ilner (2040#,
(Detworked Darratives7 Fnderstanding 6ord)of)Co%th Carketing in <nline
.omm%nities,* Journal of Marketing, 7: 74I29"
3rishnam%rthy, !andeep and Ditish !ingh (200>#, ($he /nternational e)Carketing
1ramework (/LC1#" /dentifying the B%ilding Blocks for 1%t%re 'lobal e)
Carketing ;esearch,* International Marketing Revie#, 22(?# ?0>)?40"
Harcene%0, 1abrice (2007#, (B%++ et ;ecommandations s%r /nternet 7 @%els Lffets s%r le
Bo0)<ffice O, Recherche et Applications en Marketing, 22(8# :>)?:"
Coney, ;" Br%ce, Cary ." 'illy and Bohn H" 'raham (4992#, (L0plorations of Dational
.%lt%re and 6ord)of)Co%th ;eferral Behavior in the ,%rchase of /nd%strial
!ervices in the Fnited !tates and Bapan,* The Journal of Marketing, ?2(:# 7?)27"
Corrissey, Brian (2002#, (Airal Aideo Hits Bl%r the A%thenticity Hine,* Ad#eek, :9(87#
2"
Diederhoffer, 3ate, ;ob Cooth, David 6iesenfeld and Bonathon 'ordon (2007#, ($he
<rigin and /mpact of .,' Dew),rod%ct B%++7 Lmerging $rends and
/mplications,* Journal of Advertising Research, :7(:# :20):2?"
,orter, Hance and '%y B" 'olan (200?#, (1rom !%bservient .hickens to Brawny Cen7 a
.omparison of Airal Advertising to $elevision Advertising*, Journal of
Interactive Advertising, ?(2# 80)82"
,l%mmer, Boe, !teve ;appaport, $addy Hall and ;obert Barocci (2007#, The /nline
28
Advertising 'la!book 0 'roven trategies and Tested Tactics from the Advertising
Research "oundation, Bohn 6iley J !ons, /nc", Hoboken, Dew Bersey
;eid, Alasdair (200>#, (Airal Advertising .ampaigns23 +ampaign, 4:"
;iegner, .ate (2007#, (6ord of Co%th on the 6eb7 $he /mpact of 6eb 2"0 on .ons%mer
,%rchase Decisions,* Journal of Advertising Research, :7(:# :8?)::7"
;ogers, Lverett C" (4928#, 1iffusion of innovations (8rd ed"#, Dew Eork7 1ree ,ress
;%st, ;oland $" and ;ichard 6" <liver (499:#, ($he Death of Advertising,* Journal of
Advertising, WW///(:# 74)77"
!h%kla, $imira (2040#, (1actors Affecting T/nternet CarketingK .ampaigns with
;eference to Airal and ,ermission Carketing,* The I2' Journal of Management
Research, /W(4# 2?)87"
!mith, $ed, Bames ;" .oyle, Lli+abeth Hightfoot and Amy !cott (2007#, (;econsidering
Codels of /nfl%ence7 $he ;elationship between .ons%mer !ocial Detworks and
6ord)of)Co%th Lffectiveness,* Journal of Advertising Research, :7(:# 827)897"
!tanbo%li, 3arim (2008#, (Carketing Airal et ,%blicite,* Revue "ran3aise du Marketing,
492P498 97)40?"
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Carketing and 6eb 2"0,* Harvard B%siness !chool ,%blishing, .ase >09)0:9"
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de la !tr%ct%re !ociale des 'ro%pes de Disc%ssion s%r /nternet 7 /mplications po%r
le .ontrYle d% Carketing Airal,* Recherche et Applications en Marketing, 22(8#
29)::"
!wanepoel, .eleste, Ashley Hye and ;obert ;%gimbana (2009#, (Airally /nspired7 A
2:
;eview of the $heory of Airal !tealth Carketing,* Australasian Marketing
Journal, 47(4# 9)4>"
$homas, 'reg Cet+ (200:#, (B%ilding the B%++ in the Hive Cind*, Journal of +onsumer
$ehavior, :(4# ?:)72"
$sai, Bessica (2009#, (Aideo is Core than Airal7 1orget Eo%$%be !ensations and
6ardrobe Calf%nctions,* +RM Maga*ine, 48 8?):2"
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2se, 22 8I2"
2>
Appendi
$able 4 Ca5or Llements of Definitions

De$inition Purpose Plat$orm ,!4ect Direction
(ocial media <nline media
oriented toward
social interaction,
networking and
information
e0change
social interaction /nternet %ser)
generated
content
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
*,M Aerbal cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
comm%nication,
%npaid, regarding a
brand or prod%ct
interpersonal
comm%nication
traditional
verbal
comm%nica
tion
cons%mer)
generated
opinions
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
Viral
marketing
<nline and offline
marketing activities
performed to
infl%ence cons%mers
to pass along
commercial
messages to other
cons%mers
forward of
commercial
messages
/nternet b%siness)
generated
commercial
messages
b%siness)to)
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
-u//
marketing
,eer)to)peer
conmm%nications as
a conse&%ence of
viral marketing
interpersonal
comm%nication
/nternet
and
traditional
b%siness and
cons%mer
generated
commercial
comm%nicati
on
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
e*,M Llectronic
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
comm%nication
regarding a brand or
prod%ct
interpersonal
comm%nication
/nternet cons%mer)
generated
opinions
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
Viral
advertising
Fnpaid online peer)
to)peer distrib%tion
or comm%nication
of advertising
content
forward of
commercial
advertising
/nternet b%siness or
cons%mer
generated
advertising
b%siness)to)
cons%mer)to)
cons%mer
2?