	Online Advertising
Home Communicators Audience Factors Routes of Communication Viral Marketing References	Viral Marketing Viral advertising, also known as viral marketing, stealth marketing, or buzz marketing, is an online advertising sharing method that relies heavily on word of mouth (WOM) distribution. This distribution is carried out through means of email or social network platforms for the purpose of reaching target audiences. The “viral” component of viral advertising is known as the meme which is defined as the specific part of the advertisement that allows it to be forwarded from one person to the next. The meme is very important because if the advertisement is not forwardable then many people will never get to see it. There are many forms of meme’s but the most common forms that are used are sexuality and humor. (Golan & Zaidner 2008) Viral advertising began due to the spread of broadband high-speed internet connections across the globe during the last decade. It is unsure how viral advertising specifically first started; either a form of advertising or just friends sharing entertaining advertisements with other friends. These viral advertisements are largely successful because the ads are received from friends rather than from advertisers, and those ads can then be viewed at the individual’s leisure. Another reason viral advertising is so successful is because they contain one of the strongest consumer setoffs: personal recommendations. (Golan & Zaidner 2008) Viral advertising can be very useful for businesses because it’s a low-cost opportunity for advertising executives due to the removal of any media buying elements. In this sense, many leading Fortune 500 companies have used this method of advertising to reach their consumers such as Burger King, Volvo, and Microsoft. (Golan & Zaidner 2008) Example of a viral advertisement Tv Advertising vs. Viral Advertising There are two major differences between television advertisements and viral advertisements. When looking at the media buying element of advertising, viral advertisements are cost effective and relatively easy to make. T.V. advertisements however, are costly and time consuming needing both expensive media buying and planning. (Golan & Zaidner 2008) The second difference between the two relates to repetition of the particular advertisement. Viral advertisements are not capable of repetitious views unless it has a viral component to the advertisement, which makes it forwardable to other individuals. T.V. advertisements on the other hand rely on the effectiveness of repetition so consumers see the product over and over again. This means that for T.V. advertisements, even a bad advertisement can be highly successful due to constant exposure. (Golan & Zaidner 2008) WOM Distribution Word of mouth (WOM) distribution is a central component of viral advertising because it’s the means of transportation for the ads, giving them the ability to become so widespread. WOM distribution is the sharing of information from one person to another through personal referral. The two main routes of WOM distribution pertaining to viral advertisements is through e-mail communication and Social Networking Sites (SNS). (Golan & Zaidner 2008) In a 2009 study, Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels electronically tracked an anonymous major SNS to show a measurable link between WOM activity and new customer acquisition. Founders of SNS’s send out invitations to their personal network of friends to join their site and in turn their friends send invitations to other personal network and so on. Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels found that WOM referrals have a very strong impact on customer acquisition for Social Networking Sites. (Trusov, Bucklin, & Pauwels 2009) Study by Golan & Zaidner (2008) To show the components and major uses of viral advertisements, Golan and Zaidner performed a content analysis of 360 viral ads. These ads were pulled from popular viral advertising websites such as: www.culture-buzz.com and www.ketaketa.com. In the study, Golan and Zaidner focused on two different uses/views of viral advertising according to Taylor’s Six-Segment Message Strategy Wheel. First, the Ritual view focuses on the consumer’s senses and emotions by appealing to one’s perceptions of self, by introducing another person into the purchasing situation, or by appealing to the consumers smell, taste, sight, etc. Secondly, Transformational view focuses on appealing to the consumer’s cognition or logic such as providing information about the product, focusing on the consumers individual need, or the role that product plays in the consumers everyday routine. (Golan & Zaidner 2008) The study found that the Ritual view was used most often throughout the 360 viral ads which were analyzed, implying that advertisers should move away from boring, fact-based strategies and more towards entertaining and attention grabbing strategies in order to be forwarded. This study also found that the top forms of advertising appeals in viral ads that were used were humor (91%), sexuality (28.1%), and the use of animals (17.8%). Also found that the functions of advertising were used mostly for branding (70%), providing information (15.3%), and a call for action (14.8%). (Golan & Zaidner 2008) Some websites devoted to viral advertisements: http://internetmarketingandmessages.blogspot.com/ http://www.adrants.com/ http://adland.tv/

Online Advertising

Viral Marketing

Viral advertising, also known as viral marketing, stealth marketing, or buzz marketing, is an online advertising sharing method that relies heavily on word of mouth (WOM) distribution. This distribution is carried out through means of email or social network platforms for the purpose of reaching target audiences. The “viral” component of viral advertising is known as the meme which is defined as the specific part of the advertisement that allows it to be forwarded from one person to the next. The meme is very important because if the advertisement is not forwardable then many people will never get to see it. There are many forms of meme’s but the most common forms that are used are sexuality and humor. (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

Viral advertising began due to the spread of broadband high-speed internet connections across the globe during the last decade. It is unsure how viral advertising specifically first started; either a form of advertising or just friends sharing entertaining advertisements with other friends. These viral advertisements are largely successful because the ads are received from friends rather than from advertisers, and those ads can then be viewed at the individual’s leisure. Another reason viral advertising is so successful is because they contain one of the strongest consumer setoffs: personal recommendations. (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

Viral advertising can be very useful for businesses because it’s a low-cost opportunity for advertising executives due to the removal of any media buying elements. In this sense, many leading Fortune 500 companies have used this method of advertising to reach their consumers such as Burger King, Volvo, and Microsoft. (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

Example of a viral advertisement

Tv Advertising vs. Viral Advertising

There are two major differences between television advertisements and viral advertisements. When looking at the media buying element of advertising, viral advertisements are cost effective and relatively easy to make. T.V. advertisements however, are costly and time consuming needing both expensive media buying and planning. (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

The second difference between the two relates to repetition of the particular advertisement. Viral advertisements are not capable of repetitious views unless it has a viral component to the advertisement, which makes it forwardable to other individuals. T.V. advertisements on the other hand rely on the effectiveness of repetition so consumers see the product over and over again. This means that for T.V. advertisements, even a bad advertisement can be highly successful due to constant exposure. (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

WOM Distribution

Word of mouth (WOM) distribution is a central component of viral advertising because it’s the means of transportation for the ads, giving them the ability to become so widespread. WOM distribution is the sharing of information from one person to another through personal referral. The two main routes of WOM distribution pertaining to viral advertisements is through e-mail communication and Social Networking Sites (SNS). (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

In a 2009 study, Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels electronically tracked an anonymous major SNS to show a measurable link between WOM activity and new customer acquisition. Founders of SNS’s send out invitations to their personal network of friends to join their site and in turn their friends send invitations to other personal network and so on. Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels found that WOM referrals have a very strong impact on customer acquisition for Social Networking Sites. (Trusov, Bucklin, & Pauwels 2009)

Study by Golan & Zaidner (2008)

To show the components and major uses of viral advertisements, Golan and Zaidner performed a content analysis of 360 viral ads. These ads were pulled from popular viral advertising websites such as: www.culture-buzz.com and www.ketaketa.com. In the study, Golan and Zaidner focused on two different uses/views of viral advertising according to Taylor’s Six-Segment Message Strategy Wheel. First, the Ritual view focuses on the consumer’s senses and emotions by appealing to one’s perceptions of self, by introducing another person into the purchasing situation, or by appealing to the consumers smell, taste, sight, etc. Secondly, Transformational view focuses on appealing to the consumer’s cognition or logic such as providing information about the product, focusing on the consumers individual need, or the role that product plays in the consumers everyday routine. (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

The study found that the Ritual view was used most often throughout the 360 viral ads which were analyzed, implying that advertisers should move away from boring, fact-based strategies and more towards entertaining and attention grabbing strategies in order to be forwarded. This study also found that the top forms of advertising appeals in viral ads that were used were humor (91%), sexuality (28.1%), and the use of animals (17.8%). Also found that the functions of advertising were used mostly for branding (70%), providing information (15.3%), and a call for action (14.8%). (Golan & Zaidner 2008)

Some websites devoted to viral advertisements:
http://internetmarketingandmessages.blogspot.com/
http://www.adrants.com/
http://adland.tv/