Viral marketing: A conceptual framework on its advantages, challenges and strategies

Year 2023, Volume: 5 Issue: 8, 93 - 124, 01.04.2023

Yasemin Gedik

Abstract

The widespread use of the internet among all people has encouraged businesses to discover new ways to reach customers. The advent of social media and Web 2.0 has transformed word-of-mouth into electronic word-of-mouth marketing and facilitated the spread of viral marketing. Emerging as an electronic extension of word-of-mouth marketing, viral marketing is the online marketing method businesses use to get consumers to deliver commercial messages to other consumers. In viral marketing, the aim is to reach a large number of potential customers in the shortest time and at the lowest cost. Viral marketing offers businesses many advantages such as increasing brand awareness, sales, and website traffic. However, it is not easy to go viral and implement viral marketing; It contains various difficulties. This study focuses on creating a broad conceptual framework for viral marketing. In addition, the study aims to help business managers in making relevant marketing decisions by examining the advantages, challenges, and strategies of viral marketing.

Keywords

viral marketing, WOM, E-WOM

Viral pazarlama: Avantajları, zorlukları ve stratejileri üzerine kavramsal bir çerçeve

Abstract

İnternetin tüm insanlar arasında yaygın kullanımı, işletmelerin müşterilere ulaşmak için yeni yollar keşfetmesini teşvik etmiştir. Web 2.0 ve sosyal medyanın ortaya çıkışı, ağızdan ağıza iletişimi, elektronik ağızdan ağıza pazarmaya dönüştürmüş ve viral pazarlamanın yayılımını kolaylaştırmıştır. Ağızdan ağıza pazarlamanın elektronik bir uzantısı olarak ortaya çıkan viral pazarlama, işletmelerin tüketicileri diğer tüketicilere ticari mesajları iletmesini sağlamak için kullandığı çevrimiçi pazarlama yöntemleridir. Viral pazarlamada amaç, en kısa sürede ve en düşük maliyetle çok sayıda potansiyel müşteriye ulaşmaktır. Viral pazarlama işletmelere marka bilinirliğini, satışları ve web sitesi trafiğini arttırma gibi birçok avantaj sunmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, bir içeriği viral hale getirmek ve viral pazarlamayı uygulamak kolay değildir; çeşitli zorluklar içermektedir. Bu çalışma viral pazarlama ile ilgili geniş bir kavramsal çerçeve oluşturmaya odaklanmaktadır. Ayrıca çalışma viral pazarlamanın avantajları, zorlukları ve stratejilerini de inceleyerek işletme yöneticilerine ilgili pazarlama kararlarında yardımcı olmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

viral pazarlama, WOM, E-WOM

References

• Abbas, A. ve Abd Ali, R. (2020). Viral marketing and how to make a viral bomb in the digital space to invest the pandemic COVID-19, International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 7(4), 323-336.
• Abedniya, A. ve Mahmouei, S. (2010). The impact of social networking websites to facilitate the effectiveness of viral marketing, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 1(6), 139-146.
• Agam, D. (2017). The impact of viral marketing through Instagram. Australasian Journal of Business, Social Science and Information Technology (AJBSSIT), 4(1), 40-45.
• Aghdaie, S., Sanayei, A. ve Etebari, M. (2012). Evaluation of the consumers trust effect on viral marketing acceptance based on the technology acceptance model. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 4(6)
• Ahlberg, J. (2018). Successful Methods of Viral Marketing, Bachelor Thesis, Jönköping University, Jönköping
• Ahmad, M. & Lasi, M. (2020). The attitudes on consumer perceptions towards viral marketing, A study on foodpanda food delivery in Malaysia, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 7(9), 251-259
• Ahmed, D. (2019). Word of mouth theory and everything you need to know, https,//promediaz.com/en/word-mouth-theory/
• Bampo, M., Ewing, M., Mather, D., Stewart, D. ve Wallace, M. (2008). The effects of the social structure of digital networks on viral marketing performance, Information Systems Research, 19(3), 273-290.
• Barnhart, B. (2020). What is viral marketing (and does it actually work in 2020)? https,//sproutsocial.com/insights/viral-marketing/
• Barziu, A. (2016). Viral marketing, how do Albanians perceive user created ads toward professionally made ads, Master Thesis, Epoka University.
• Berger, J. ve Milkman, K. (2012). What makes online Content Viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192-205.
• Beverland, M., Dobele, A. ve Farrelly, F. (2015). The viral marketing metaphor explored through vegemite, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 33(5), 656-674.
• Botha, E. ve Reyneke, M. (2013). To share or not to share, The role of content and emotion in viral marketing, Journal of Public Affairs, 13(2), 160-171.
• Camarero, C. ve San Jose, R. (2011). Social and attitudinal determinants of viral marketing dynamics, Computers in Human Behavior, 27(6), 2292-2300.
• Carida, A. ve Colurcio, M. (2013). Viral marketing communication, just sales or more? Business Systems Review, 2(1), 99-110. https,//ssrn.com/abstract=2285429
• Christiansen, T. ve Tax, S. (2010). Measuring word of mouth, The questions of who and when? Journal of Marketing Communications, 6(3), 185-199.
• Clavijo, M. (2009). How word of mouth works. https,//viralmarketingresearch.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/how-word-of-mouth-works/
• Cruz, D. ve Fill, C. (2008). Evaluating viral marketing, Isolating the key criteria, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(7), 743-758
• Dafonte-Gomez, A., Míguez-Gonzalez, M. I. ve Corbacho-Valencia, J. M. (2020). Viral dissemination of content in advertising, Emotional factors to reach consumers, Communication & Society, 33(1), 107-120.
• Dash, M. ve Kumar, A. (2016). Consumer's perception and behavioural reaction, Qualitative analysis on viral marketing, Handbook of Research on Promotional Strategies and Consumer Influence in the Service Sector, IGI Global, 406-420.
• Dave, N. (2018). Top 3 viral marketing campaigns to take inspiration from, https,//www.semrush.com/blog/viral-marketing-campaign-inspiration/
• Dilip, R., Lucas, T., Saarangan, A., Sumathipala, S. ve Premachandra, C. (2018). Making online content viral through text analysis, 2018 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), 1-6.
• Dobele, A., Toleman, D. ve Beverland, M. (2005). Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message through viral marketing, Business Horizons, 48, 143-149.
• Elliott, L. (2013). What makes a non-professional video go viral, A case study of i'm farming and i grow it, Master Thesis, Kansas State University, USA
• Ewing, M., Stewart, D., Mather, D. ve Newton, J. (2014). How contagious is your viral marketing campaign? Journal of Advertising Research, 54(2), 205-216.
• Ewing, M. (2019). 71% More Likely to Purchase Based on Social Media Referrals. https, //blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30239/71-More-Likely-to-Purchase-Based-on-Social-Media-Referrals-Infographic.aspx?
• __hstc=191390709.165e1233ccf84a76bed5ee580ab9fc7d.1512999645742.1512999645742.1512999645742.1&__hssc=191390709.2.1512999645743&__hsfp=1162531128
• Fadil, A. (2015). Value co-creation process in small and medium enterprise by utilization of viral marketing as a branding tool, A system dynamic approach, Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 169, 258-265
• Fan, S., Jin, M. ve Zhou, Z. (2016). What makes content viral online, A study of micro blogs on Sina Weibo, ICEB 2016 Proceedings, 11.
• Flint, S. (2021). 5 Cost-effective viral marketing strategies for start-ups. https, //blog.reputationx.com/guest/viral-marketing-for-start-ups
• Gaille, B. (2016). 19 Pros and cons of viral marketing, https,//brandongaille.com/19-pros-and-cons-of-viral-marketing/
• Gardner, J., Sohn , K., Seo , J. ve Weaver, J. (2013). A sensitivity analysis of an epidemiological model of viral marketing, When viral marketing efforts fall flat, Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 7(4) , 23-46.
• Guadagno, R., Rempala, D., Murphy, S. ve Okdie, B. (2013). What makes a video go viral? An analysis of emotional contagion and internet memes, Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 2312–2319.
• Hamed, E. (2017). Investigating effects of viral marketing on consumer’s purchasing decision (Case study, The students of the Administrative Sciences College, Najran University), British Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(4), 61-71.
• Haryani, S. ve Motwani, B. (2015a). Discriminant model for online viral marketing influencing consumers behavioural intention, Pacific Science Review B, Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(1), 49-56.
• Haryani, S. ve Motwani, B. (2015b). Gender difference in consumer perception towards online viral marketing communication, International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication, 4(3), 28-37.
• Hatch, C. (2018). Viral marketing, Marketing tactics for viral success, https,//www.disruptiveadvertising.com/marketing/viral-marketing/
• Helm, S. (2000). Viral marketing-establishing customer relationships by word-of-mouse, Electronic Markets, 10(3), 158-161
• Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K., Walsh, G. ve Gremler, D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms, What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38-51.
• Hinz, O., Skiera, B., Barrot, C. ve Becker, J. (2011). Social contagion, An empirical comparison of seeding strategies for viral marketing, Journal of Marketing, 75(6), 55-71.
• Ho, J. ve Dempsey, M. (2010). Viral marketing, Motivations to forward online content, Journal of Business Research, 63(9-10), 1000-1006. https,//www.marketing-schools.org/types-of-marketing/viral-marketing/#section-0 (2020). Viral Marketing
• Izawa, M. (2010). What makes viral videos viral?, Roles of emotion, impression, utility, and social ties in online sharing behavior, Master Thesis, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Johnson, M. (2022). New global Nielsen study reveals who trusts what in advertising. https,//mediashotz.co.uk/new-global-nielsen-study-reveals-who-trusts-what-in-advertising/
• Kaikati, A. ve Kaikati, J. (2004). Stealth marketing, How to reach consumers surreptitiously, California Management Review, 46(4), 6-22
• Kaplan, A. ve Haenlein, M. (2011). Two hearts in three-quarter time, How to waltz the social media/viral marketing dance, Business Horizons, 54(3), 253-263.
• Ketelaar, P., Janssen, L., Vergeer, M., Van Reijmersdal, E., Crutzen, R. ve Van T Riet, J. (2016). The success of viral ads, Social and attitudinal predictors of consumer pass-on behavior on social network sites, Journal of Business Research, 69, 2603-2613.
• Kiss, C. ve Bichler, M. (2008). Identification of influencers, Measuring influence in customer networks, Decision Support Systems, 46(1), 233-253
• Knossenburg, Y., Nogueira, R. ve Chimenti, P. (2016). Contagious content, Viral video ads identification of content characteristics that help online video advertisements go viral, REMark- Revista Brasileira De Marketing, 15(4), 448-458
• Litvin, S., Goldsmith, R. ve Pan , B. (2008). Electronic word-of-mouth in hospitality and tourism management, Tourism Management, 29(3), 458-468.
• Liu, H.H. ve Wang, Y. N. (2019). Interrelationships between viral marketing and purchase intention via customer-based brand equity, Journal of Business and Management Sciences, 7(2), 72-83.
• Long, C. ve Chi-Wing Wong, R. (2014). Viral marketing for dedicated customers, Information Systems, 46, 1-23
• Lopez, M. ve Sicilia, M. (2014). Determinants of E-WOM influence, The role of consumers internet experience, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 9(1), 28-43
• Meiners, N., Schwarting, U. Ve Seeberger, B. (2010). The renaissance of word-of-mouth marketing, A new standard in twenty-first century marketing management?! International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, 3(2), 79-97.
• Miller, R. ve Lammas, N. (2010). Social media and its implications for viral marketing, Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, 11(1), 1-9.
• Mishra, J. ve Singh, J. (2014). Viral marketing through social networking as a promotional tool for apparel, BS Publications, 306-311.
• Mochalova, A. ve Nanopoulos, A. (2014). A targeted approach to viral Marketing, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 13(4), 283-294.
• Moldovan, S. ve Steinhart, Y. (2019). Propagators, creativity, and informativeness, What helps ads go viral, Journal of Interactive Marketing, 47, 102-114.
• Murphy, R. (2020). Local consumer review survey 2020, https,//www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey-2020/#what-review-readers-care-about
• Nelson-Field, K., Riebe, E. ve Newstead, K. (2013). The emotions that drive viral video, Australasian Marketing Journal, 21, 205-211.
• Nguyen, C. ve Nguyen, D. (2020). A study of factors affecting brand awareness in the context of viral marketing in Vietnam. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(5), 5401-5411.
• Nigam, A. (2012). Influence of viral marketing on brand equity building with reference to online social networking sites networking sites, International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, 12 (1), 82-88.
• Nilsson, I. ve Svensson, M. (2009). The viral makes you aware, How is brand association affected by viral marketing through individual networks? Bachelor Thesis, Kristianstad University College
• Odisho, W. ve Kurtagic, Z. (2014). Viral marketing, A study on influencers behaviour through their pronoun use on Twitter, Master Degree Project, University Of Gothenburg
• Olannye, A. ve Onobrakpeya, A. (2017). Evaluating the effect of viral marketing on customer brand equity, An empirical evidence, Nigerian Journal of Management Sciences, 6(1), 214-226.
• Palka, W., Pousttchi, K. ve Wiedemann, D. (2009). Mobile word-of-mouth, A grounded theory of mobile viral marketing. Journal of Information Technology, 24, 172–185.
• Parikh, V. (2022). Advantages and disadvantages of viral marketing, https,//www.letslearnfinance.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-viral-marketing.html
• Petrescu, M. (2018). The effect of socialization and maven characteristics on viral advertising, Timisoara Journal of Economics and Business, 11(1), 1-20.
• Petrescu, M. ve Korgaonkar, P. (2011). Viral advertising, Definitional review and synthesis, Journal of Internet Commerce, 10(3), 208-226.
• Phelps, J., Lewis, R., Mobilio, L., Perry, D. ve Raman, N. (2004). Viral marketing or electronic word-of-mouth advertising, Examining consumer responses and motivations to pass along email, Journal of Advertising Research, 44(4) , 1-18.
• Purey, N. (2015). Effect of viral marketing communication on educational qualification of consumers, Prestige E-Journal of Management and Research, 2(2), 39-55.
• Rakic, M. ve Rakic, B. (2014). Viral marketing, Ekonomika, 60(4), 179-187.
• Rantalankila, N. (2015). Emotions and social currency as a basis for viral success, A case study on online video advertising, Master Thesis, Aalto University,
• Redmond, J. (2022). Disadvantages of viral marketing, https,//business.lovetoknow.com/business-marketing-business-owner/disadvantages-viral-marketing
• Reichstein, T. ve Brusch, I. (2019). The decision‐making process in viral marketing, A review and suggestions for further research, Psychology & Marketing, 36(11), 1062-1081
• Reyes-Menendez, A., Saura, J. ve Martinez-Navalon, J. 2019). The impact of e-WOM on hotels management reputation, Exploring TripAdvisor review credibility with the ELM model, IEEE Access, 7, 68868-68877.
• Rivier University Online. (2022). History of viral marketing, https,//smallbiztrends.com/2019/04/viral-marketing-history.html
• Rodrigues, H. ve Fonseca, M. (2016). Can information be spread as a virus? Viral marketing as epidemiological model, Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, 39(16), 4780-4786
• Rosen, E. (2002). The anatomy of buzz, How to create word of mouth marketing, Currency. New York
• Rukuni, T., Shaw, G., Chetty, Y., Kgama, P. ve Kekana, P. (2017). Viral marketing strategies and customer buying behavioural intentions at retail store in Johannesburg, Business Management and Strategy, 8(1), 58-83.
• Saredorah, M., Shirazi, F., Ardian, A., Siadatan, M. ve Oveisi, M. (2020). Factors affecting viral marketing in health tourism development, Journal of Healthcare Management, 11(36), 45-55.
• Sawaftah, D., Çalıcıoğlu, C. ve Awadallah, R. (2020). The relationship between viral marketing and consumer purchase intention, the moderator role of brand image and age, Evidence from smartphone users in North Cyprus, Management Science Letters, 10, 1307–1320.
• Sharma, R. ve Kaur, B. (2020). E-mail viral marketing, Modeling the determinants of creation of viral infection, Management Decision, 1-17
• Shoeb, M. ve Khalid, M. (2013). The paradigm of viral communication. Handbook of Management, Technology and Social Sciences.
• Skrob, J. R. (2005). Open source and viral marketing, University of Applied Science Kufstein, Austria. 1-29.
• Sohn , K., Gardner , J. ve Weaver, J. (2013). Viral marketing, More than a buzzword, Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 14(1), 21-42.
• Stonedahl, F., Rand, W. ve Wilensky, U. (2010). Evolving viral marketing strategies, Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation, 1195-1202.
• Sukhraj, R. (2016). The advantages of viral marketing, https,//www.impactplus.com/blog/the-advantages-of-viral-marketing
• Taube, A. (2014), Burger King brought back the famous subservient chicken-with a twist, https,//www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-subservient-chicken-big-2014-4
• Todorov, G. (2021). Word of Mouth Marketing, 49 Statistics to Help You Boost Your Bottom Line. https,//www.semrush.com/blog/word-of-mouth-stats/
• Weissman, S. (2012). The evolution of viral marketing, https,//digiday.com/media/the-evolution-of-viral-marketing/
• Wiedemann, D., Haunstetter. T. ve Pousttchi, K. (2008). Analyzing the basic elements of mobile viral marketing, An empirical study, 7th International Conference on Mobile Business, 75-85.
• Wilson, R. (2000). The six simple principles of viral marketing, Web Marketing Today, 70(1), 1-3
• Xavier, L. ve Summer, G. (2009). Viral marketing communication, The internet word-of-mouth, Master Thesis, School of Management Blekinge Institute of Technology
• Vinaras, E. (2020). What is viral marketing? Examples and advantages, https,//www.cyberclick.net/numericalblogen/what-is-viral-marketing-advantages-and-examples
• Yang, J., Yao, C., Ma, W. ve Chen, G. (2010). A study of the spreading scheme for viral marketing based on a complex network model, Physica A, 389, 859–870.