Business

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES 1
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Viral marketing describes any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on
a marketing message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the
message's exposure and influence. It also refers to marketing techniques that uses
pre-existing social networks to increase the brand or product awareness or to achieve
other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral
processes, analogous to the spread of viruses or computer viruses. It can be
delivered by word of mouth or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral
marketing may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames,
EBooks, brandable software, images, or text messages.
(http://philipkotler2013.blogspot.com/). A company will try to get a product or service
seen by as many people as possible by marketing it to the target market. The
American Marketing Association (AMA: 2012) define marketing as, “Marketing is the
activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and
exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at
large”. The definition states the fact that there could be a lot of parties that might be
interested in a specific product or service. Although viral marketing-- which is simply
passing on a message has been around for a long time, the term ‘viral marketing’ was
not given until 1997, when Jurvetson came up with the expression to portray Hotmail’s
unique and innovative marketing ways. Viral marketing can be defined as, “Viral
marketing is a strategy that is geared towards making awareness about company
products and services that is being catered to a specified range of people. It primarily
employs the word-of-mouth method to propagate the presence of the company and
the existence of the products and goods. It can also employ the use of other marketing
tools like giving away free gifts and free downloadable programs to entice people.”
(Allen 2008: 35)However, the above definition is a bit long, and though it covers all
aspects of viral marketing, it can be condensed to more compressed information.
Another definition to be considered is: “Viral marketing is the process of clearly
defining the marketing methods on how to persuade and encourage other people to
carry and pass on the message to the rest of the people across the whole internet
area.” (Allen 2008: 35).Although viral marketing is mainly conducted over the internet,
it would be unfair to say that it is the sole way to communicate. Viral marketing is a
relatively new term, which peaked in the late 1990’s. Allen (2008: 60) states that viral
marketing started with the premise that people, not necessarily consumers, pass on
or tell other person about a certain product. This could be both positive and negative
issues. The main intention of viral marketing is to generate awareness of a specific
product within the target market and to potential customers. This concept has been
around for decades; people usually have face to face conversations and messages
would spread from companies by word of mouth. It can be done both consciously and
subconsciously. Viral marketing tends to be associated with the internet; web 2.0-
mainly social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The final main factor of
the rise of viral marketing is the growth of YouTube. It would appear that the concept
of viral marketing has become accepted in many ways since the introduction of web
2.0, as this enables a huge amount of people to see one message, and easily pass
on to other group of people. It may be impossible to reach the same number of people
by just using word of mouth/ face to face method. Wilson (2005) stated that there
were six main elements of a viral marketing strategy, which will be covered later on.
Wilson (2005) stated that there are 6 elements of a viral marketing campaign, these
are: (1) Gives away products or services, (2) Provides effortless transfer to others, (3)
Scales easily from very small to very large, (4) Exploits common motivations and
behaviors, (5) Utilizes existing communication networks, and (6) Takes advantage of
others’ resources. By considering the points above, it is clear that viral marketing has
expanded along with the internet and Web 2.0 applications. Many of the viewpoints
are made possible and simple with the internet; especially social networking sites.
The section below will expand more on these points whilst giving examples of viral
marketing campaigns. However, because of the advancement of users on the
internet, social networks & YouTube, it has had a major effect with regards to Wilson’s
elements. It can make a video go viral unintentionally, and could make it more difficult
to create a purpose-made viral video. As consumers aren’t looking for the same thing
as originally believed. Many of the videos will have an element of humor along with
surprise, as well as something innovative- a talking or sharing point.
(http://newtrendsinmanagement.wikispaces.com/Viral+Marketing+and+Social+Netw
orking+Sites)
Viral marketing is the goal of many companies looking to leverage the social
media space to promote their products. Defined as piece of content generated by a
person or business that inspires consumers to eagerly share it with their expanded
social circle, viral marketing can help build brand recognition instantly — but is easier
said than done. Viral marketing can be important in launching a new product by
getting your brand in front of a large potential market quickly. A YouTube video costs
a fraction as much as a TV commercial, but if it inspires people to share your message
it can have a major impact on brand recognition. Kraft, for example, used viral
marketing to successfully launch its MiO brand of liquid water enhancer. Twitter and
Facebook are among the other social media tools that allow users to share content,
and are useful in bringing up people’s attention. A viral campaign isn’t the place to tell
your audience every single detail of your product or service, even if it's their first
exposure to what you're selling. Instead, it should generate a reaction quickly and
easily, such as laughter, surprise or shock. If you already have a strong online
presence, seed it with your biggest fans first to get them spread the word for you. It’s
not an ideal marketing strategy to just post your product’s viral marketing video on
YouTube and expect for asuccess. Consider placing ads linking to the video on
search engines, with the ads showing up when users search terms relating to your
product, such as “stain removal” for a dry-cleaning service. Companies may be
tempted to make the new product’s attributes, the centerpiece of a viral marketing
effort, but if that’s the star of the show it usually falls flat. Before you design your
campaign, assess what causes you to click on a video or forward a link, and ask those
in your company or social circle with experience in social media for their thoughts or
opinions. Would you click on a video because it promised to be the best tongue
cleaner on the market? Probably not. But Orabrush found success with viral
marketing by making a giant human tongue, the star of the show, which did things
like compete against little league football players on YouTube. It’s important to build
in metrics to let you know if your campaign is going viral, and if it’s having the desired
effect on brand awareness. Views, likes, re-tweets, number of shares and other basic
measures could bethe starters, but find ways to expand that to something more
substantial to your campaign goals. Perhaps, offer a free sample of your product as
part of the campaign, and measure how many people would fill out the request form
forthe free sample. Or have the clicks take users to a landing page on your own site
and measure how many are willing to engage themselves on your page. The biggest
risk isn’t the possibility that a campaign will fall flat, but the loss of control that a viral
marketing campaign necessitates. When customers pass along your viral marketing
efforts, they do so on their terms, not yours. You might turn off customers as well as
win them -- but you also may find your users see selling points that you never thought
of. (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-viral-marketing-launching-new-
product-68291.html)
Background of the Study

Viral marketing is a widespread promotional strategy used by the marketing
practitioners and companies nowadays. But still, there are a lot of consumers who
are not aware of it. They keep on asserting that they are not apprehensive of this kind
of promotional strategy, without knowing that they are practicing and encountering
various examples of this every day by simply accessing the Internet. Therefore, we
would like to know how aware the respondents are in terms of viral marketing as a
form of promotional strategy.
The purpose of this study is to find out the level awareness of Second Year
and Third Year Marketing Students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines School
Year 2013-2014 in the Viral Marketing as a Form of Promotional Strategy, specifically
to find out the profile of the respondents in terms of awareness to viral marketing,
age, gender, and year level, the level of awareness of the respondents to Viral
Marketing as a form of promotional strategy in terms of source, uses, personal
impression, advantages, and disadvantages, and also if there is a significant
difference between the level awareness of the respondents when they are grouped
according to profile.
Conceptual Framework
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
1. Profile
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Year Level Literature research
(Related Researches) Level of awareness
2. Awareness to Viral towards Viral
Marketing in terms Marketing
of: Data processing and
consolidation Recommendation
2.1 Mind and
Awareness Data analysis and Conclusion
2.2Sources interpretation
2.3 Uses
2.4Personal
Impression
2.5 Advantages
2.6 Disadvantages
FEEDBACK
Statement of the Problem

This research study aims to find out the level awareness of Second Year and
Third Year Marketing Students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines School
Year 2013-2014 in Viral Marketing as a Form of Promotional Strategy.
Specifically, the study sought to answer the following:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 Awareness to viral marketing
1.2 Age
1.3 Gender
1.4 Year level
2. What is the level of awareness of the respondents to Viral Marketing as a form
of promotional strategy in terms of:
2.1 What comes first into mind upon hearing “Viral Marketing”
2.2 Source
2.3 Uses
2.4 Personal Impression
2.5 Advantages
2.6 Disadvantages
3. Is there a significant difference in the level awareness of the respondents when
they are grouped according to profile?
Hypothesis of the Study

There is no significant difference between the levels of awareness of the
respondents when they are grouped according to profile.
Significance of the Study
This study was anticipated to contribute additional information to serve the following
individuals and institution:
Business Market: This study will be beneficial in terms of making strategy in
promoting or introducing products and services they offer. This strategy will help new
business in starting to promote their business because it does not need large capital.
Consumers: This study will help them gain and improve knowledge about the latest
on products thus making them more smart and wise consumer
College of Business Faculty: This will enlighten their awareness that teaching this
strategy will be beneficial not only for them but also for their student who will go to
enter the business world.
Students: This study will contribute to marketing students’ relevant information about
viral marketing strategy. This also helps to prepare student for careers in marketing
and to make them ready when they enter the business world.
Definition of terms
For better understanding and interpretation of this study, the following terms are
operationally defined:
Advertising. It is the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service
and need especially by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over
radio or television and even on billboards.
Blog. It is a website that contains an online journal with reflections, comments and
often hyperlinks provided by the web page writer.
Blogger. It is the person who writes a blog.
Buzz Marketing. It is a term used in Viral Marketing. It is the interaction of the
consumers and users of a product or service which serves to amplify the original
marketing message.
Clutter. Itrefers to the large volume of advertising messages that the average
consumer is exposed to on a daily basis.
Content Marketing. It is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing
of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.

email or Electronic mail. It is a system of sending written messages electronically
from one computer to another.
Guerilla Marketing. It is an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional
marketing tactics are used to yield maximum results.
Low-end. This refers to the product and services with low quality.
Memes in photos and images. It refers to the manipulated photos of any individual,
things and places made by netizen with random or content less information.
Netizen.It is a portmanteau of the English words citizen and internet. It is the word
used to call a user of Internet, especially a habitual or avid one.
Online Marketing. It refers to advertising and marketing efforts that use the web and
email to drive direct sales via electronic commerce.
Promotion. The coordinated efforts initiated by the seller to establish channels of
information and persuasion to foster the sale of goods or services, or the acceptance
of ideas or points of view.

Promotion Mix. It relates to the marketer’s efforts to make the product or services
actually move through the marketing channels and to the target market.
Promotional Strategy. The element of a firm's decision-making concerned with
choosing the most appropriate mix of advertising, sales promotion, personal selling
and publicity for communication with its target market.
PUP. Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Redundancy. It refers to the act of using words, phrases, ideas, and others that
repeats something else and is therefore unnecessary.
Respondents. 2nd and 3rd year Marketing Management Students.
Social Media. It refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through
social media sites.
Social Media Marketing. It refers to the interaction among people in which they
create, share and/or exchange information, and ideas in virtual communities.

Social Networks. It is an online community of people with common interest who use
a website or other technologies to communicate with each other and share
information and resources.
Viral Marketing. It is a marketing strategy that focuses on spreading information and
opinions about a product or service from person to person, especially by using
unconventional means such as the Internet or e-mail.
Web. It is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via Internet. With a
web browser, one can view web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and
other multimedia.
Word-of-mouth. It is the passing of information from person to person by oral
communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of the day.
Word-of-Mouth-Marketing. It is the most incredible form of advertising because
promoters don’t stand to gain anything personally by recommending the product and
even willing to stake their own reputation on the line.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study
The study focused only on level of the knowledge and awareness ofthe Second
Year and Third Year Marketing students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines,
school year 2013 – 2014, in Viral Marketing as a Form of Promotional Strategy. This
was done to look into the social interpretation and consciousness of the chosen
respondents. Also, to initially determine the possible advantages and disadvantages
they thought would be derived from Viral Marketing. Advantages and disadvantages
are intentionally not discussed and assessed in this study to concentrate or to mainly
measure the consciousness of young marketers about the widespread use of the Viral
Marketing to its possible consumers and how they perceive this method as a
Promotional Strategy.
Only 147 sophomore and 153 junior students from Marketing Department were
involved in the study. The questionnaires were administered in the month of February,
2014 and were selected through random sampling.
No attempt was made to compare or correlate this study with any other form of
Promotional Strategy.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
FOREIGN LITERATURE
According to Konzinets, Viral Marketing is the intentional influencing of
consumer-to-consumer communication by professional marketing techniques. It is
also otherwise known as word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM), buzz marketing and
guerilla marketing.
According to Wilson, Viral Marketing can be describe as any strategy that
encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, to create the
potential for exponential growth in the message’s exposure and influence.
As Clifford-Marsh and Readon stated, VM in social networks started with
videos being posted on YouTube. For example, the chicken viral video by Burger King
in 2004 received over 20m hits. However, these days VM campaigns are more
integrated campaigns that are tied to other more traditional forms of media. For
example, the campaign for the movie The Dark Knight incorporated billboards,
commercials, social networks, and fake websites; email blasts, online puzzles etc.
The movie grossed over $1bn worldwide.
It seems to be the case that the presence of millions of consumers on social
networks, who also share their experiences and views on brands they like or dislike,
presents a unique opportunity to the marketers – to not only understand the

customers perspective of their brands, but also to influence their perceptions quite
rapidly using viral marketing concepts.
Advantages/Disadvantages of Viral Marketing
There are many advantages to viral marketing for businesses. Individuals who
write about businesses (in blogs or chat rooms) create free advertising as they do it
of their own accord. When compared to the costs of traditional marketing and
promotional techniques (which could be hundreds of thousands of pounds for some
high profile businesses) it is clear that viral marketing would save them a considerable
amount of money.
It is therefore apparent that creating websites that attract customers would cost
much less than a television advert, with cost-per-click being too small to denominate,
and can reach the same amount or even more people. This is why, as Business Link
(2008) state, viral marketing is effective for small businesses as it can enable them to
reduce their customer acquisition and distribution costs by nearly thirty percent, and
increase the average order size by up to sixty percent. One reason why viral
marketing can do this is that customers don’t feel like they are being sold to. They
therefore don’t feel that anyone is out to con them, especially if they’ve read
recommendations from a friend or acquaintance about that particular company. This
is supported by the findings of a study by surveymonkey.com who states that viral
marketing, through social network sites for example, gives the customer control rather
than being in a company controlled environment.

The low cost of social media marketing and the potential to reach and influence
millions of people through personal recommendation seems to be a very lucrative
option for marketers. However, if not managed properly, such campaigns also have
the potential to get out of hand very quickly and become unmanageable. Marketers
need to keep this mind and take a balanced approach.
The New Rules of Viral Marketing: How word-of-mouse spreads your ideas for
free
One of the coolest things about the Web is that when an idea takes off, it can
propel a brand or company to seemingly instant fame and fortune. For free. Whatever
you call it—viral, buzz, word-of-mouse, or word-of-blog marketing—having other
people tell your story drives action. One person sends it to another, then that person
sends it to yet another, and on and on. The challenge for marketers is to harness the
amazing power of word-of-mouse. I hope this e-book helps you learn about other
people’s success so you can apply some of their ideas and lessons in your own word-
of-mouse efforts. As you will learn, the formula for success includes a combination of
some great—and free— Web content (a video, blog entry, interactive tool, or e-book)
that provides valuable information (or is groundbreaking or amazing or hilarious or
involves a celebrity), plus a network of people to light the fire and links that make your
content very easy to share. You and I are incredibly lucky.
For decades, the only way to spread our ideas was to buy expensive
advertising or beg the media to write (or broadcast) about our products and services.
But now our organizations have a tremendous opportunity to publish great content
online—content that people want to consume and that they are eager to share with
their friends, family, and colleagues.
Word-of-mouse is the single most empowering tool available to marketers
today. I wrote this e-book so you can take advantage of the power of viral marketing
too. In it, I share ideas that will help you create your own viral marketing strategies
and campaigns. These are the “new rules” I’ve used to create marketing programs
that have sold more than a billion dollars’ worth of products and services worldwide.
(Scott, 2008)
Viral Marketing Communication-A study on consumer perception and response
Advancements in communication technology have given rise to the evolution of
a new electronic form of word-of-mouth – Viral marketing communication (VMC).
VMC is a form of marketing tactic which encourages individuals to spread a marketing
message to others by means of the internet. Currently, VMC is still considered to be
at a premature phase of development, therefore information about its behavior and
magnitude has yet to be clearly set upon and determined. In addition, limited research
has been done on consumer perception and response to such marketing techniques
(Xavier et al. 2009).
A Descriptive Viral Marketing Model
The solutions to successful viral marketing campaigns must include some vital
parts, which (1) engages the users, (2) rewards them and have a (3) social factor. It
is all about high and low integration before when it comes to customer engagement
and these terms can be applied to both the social aspect and the rewarding aspect of
the model as well. By using different integration levels this will show what the
campaign is able to offer the customers in terms of engagement, rewards and the
social factors, and also to what extend the levels can be utilized in the campaign.
These integration levels are divided into three: low, mid or high, based on a list of
criteria that is explained within each factor where a high integration level is preferred.
To achieve a high integration level a campaign must include most of the criteria
mentioned in each of the factors. The integration level is considered as mid if these
criteria are met but are not used frequently or well enough to earn a high integration
level. Also, if only some of the criteria are met, the integration level is considered mid.
If none or very few of the criteria are met. By building a campaign around these terms
we believe it has great prospects to achieve a viral spread (Odén et al. 2011).
Social Media and Its Implications for Viral Marketing
In the past few years most of the companies are using traditional media in
promoting products but as time pass by it was changing. Like when the social media
was being used to promote products and services. Recent studies show that the
corporate adoption of social media by the fastest growing US corporations is now at
record pace (Barnes 2008:74). Yet, because of the novelty and potential effectiveness
of Web 2.0, some marketers may be enticed to prematurely rely on social media in
promotional plans (Miller et al.)

Social Media’s Viral Marketing Potential
Viral marketing, also known as word-of-mouth (WOM) or “buzz marketing”, is
the tactic of creating a process where interested people can market to each other
(Subramahi&Rajagopalan, 2003, p.1). In this age of user-generated media, social
media is not merely a marketing channel, it facilitates WOM. While Web 2.0 media
presents communications and sales opportunities for marketers, it brings with it a
potential and worrying lack of control of marketing messages.
There are considerable and popular expectations that social marketing
applications can result in extremely effective marketing. For example, Fisher (2009)
concluded that of the 70 percent of consumers who had visited a social media site to
get information; 49 percent of these customers made a purchase decision with this
information they found and 60 percent of the respondents in the study said they are
likely to pass on information they find online.
Success in viral marketing hinges upon understanding the nature of knowledge-
sharing and persuasion by influencers and responses by recipients in online networks
(Subramani&Rajagopalan 2003, p.4). Online influencers should be viewed as
knowledgeable helpers in the social network rather than as mere “agents” of the
marketer. Schemes that make overt attempts to co-opt users to promote products and
services may upset the status quo and reduce the effectiveness of the marketing
approach to the detriment of both the marketer and users who may have benefited
from the knowledge-sharing acts of influencers (Subramani&Rajagopalan 2003, p.5).

Specifically, a key issue facing marketers is the source-credibility of online actors.
Readers of user-made commentary typically evaluate the opinions of complete
strangers, and often readers are aware of this. A proxy for individual credibility should
be identified in marketing campaigns (Brown, Broderick & Lee 2007, p.7).
Nothing is guaranteed to go Viral
As of today most of us knew that viral marketing is very useful strategy most
especially in promoting product and services. But on the back of it we don’t know that
engaging in viral marketing is also taking risk. How did we say that? Because some
organization when they set to go out viral, the vast majority of their campaigns fail
(Scott, 2008 p. 16).
It is virtually impossible to create a Web marketing program that is guaranteed
to go viral; it requires a huge amount of luck and timing. That’s an important point to
remember as you work on viral marketing ideas, because it’s unlike the old-rules,
numbers-based marketing techniques you’re probably used to (Scott, 2008 p.16).
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the method of research used, population and description
of the respondents, the venue or location where the research took place, sample size
and sampling technique, research instrument, data-gathering procedure and
statistical treatment used in validating and interpreting data.
Method of Research
The descriptive method, particularly the survey, was used to achieve the
objectives of this study entitled “The Level of Awareness of Second Year and Third
Year Marketing Students in Viral Marketing as a Form of Promotional Strategy."
Descriptive method (Sospeter, 2007) is designed for the research to gather
information about present existing conditions. According to Asenjo (2008), the main
objective of the descriptive method is to describe the nature of a situation as exists at
the time of the study and to explore the causes of particular phenomena. This method
seeks to describe the current condition, which in this study was the level of awareness
of the selected sophomore and junior students towards Viral Marketing to promote a
product and their perceived benefits and inconvenience of this strategy.
Population, Sample Size and Sampling Technique
According to the Junior Marketing Executives, there are 561 sophomore
students and 586 junior students that were enrolled for the second semester of the
academic year 2013-2014 under the Department of Marketing Management (DM),
College of Business of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Slovin’s formula

was used to determine the sample population of the respondents yielding to the
figures of 297. For the equal and random distribution of the sample population, the
researchers intentionally got the 300 respondents. The target population consisted of
300 marketing students of the said department. This target population was considered
quite few; hence, the researchers opted to involve all 300 marketing students in the
research as respondents. Samples produced were proportionately disseminated
inthirteen sections of the chosen year levels based on the total number of participants
of this study.
Slovin’s Formula:
n = N/1 + N (e)^2
Where:
n = sample size
N = total population
e = marginal error
N = 1147
e = .05
n = 297
Description of Respondents
Researchers decided to choose second year and third year students from each
section of the Department of Marketing Management under College of Business at
Polytechnic University of the Philippines during the Academic Year 2013-2014.All the
respondents were enrolled in the second semester of the same academic year taking
up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management.
Research Instrument
The structured-questionnaire, wherein the researchers prepared a list of
questions in a predetermined order, was used as the primary data-gathering tool in
order to collect information about the level of awareness about Viral Marketing of the
selected second year and third year students of the Department of Marketing of the
College of Business of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines during the
academic year 2013-2014. The structured-questionnaire has two parts. Part I
contains the profile of the respondents including their gender, age, and year level.
Part II includes the respondent’s awareness towards viral marketing. It includes the
first word that comes into their mind when they hear the word viral marketing, sources
of viral marketing, advantages of it, disadvantages and the respondent’s personal
impression towards viral marketing. The research instrument was validated by two
experts, Dr. Arturo Caras, a faculty from the College of Business, Sir Allen Carreon,
statistician from the Institute of Data and Statistical Analysis (IDSA). Their inputs and
suggestions for the betterment of the research instrument were incorporated before
conducting the survey.
Data-Gathering Procedure
The data were drawn from 300 students of second year and third year level of
the Department of Marketing Management under College of Business of Polytechnic
University of the Philippines Manila who were surveyed by the researchers. The
researchers personally administered the questionnaire to the respondents wherein
they were asked to answer the research instrument. The researchers set separate
appointments with the 300 respondents as to their own respective class schedules.
Prior to the conduct of the survey the researchers made the effort to seek approval
on offices and persons in authority with direct supervision to the respondents through
formal requests and correspondences to allow the administering of the research
questionnaire particularly the chairperson of the Department of Marketing of the
College of Business and the President of Junior Marketing Executives of the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Statistical Treatment
The basic procedure of data analysis and interpretation used the following:
a. Percentage statistics was used to analyze the profile of respondents.
Formula:
Where:
P = is the percentage
f = is the value of individual case
N = is the value of total cases

b. Weighted Mean was used arrive at mathematical average of the variables
of each statement on the level of awareness of the respondents.
Formula:
Where:
∑ = TotalSum of all across values
𝑊𝑖 =is the allocated weighted value
𝑋𝑖 =is the observed values
𝑋̅w= is the weighted mean variable
c. Standard Deviation was used to tell how closely the values of the data set
are clustered around the weighted mean.
Formula:
Where:
∑ = TotalSum of all across values
𝑥 = Value of each
𝑥̅ = Mean or average of the values

𝑁 = Number of the value
d. Independent Sample T-test was used to determine if there is a significant
difference in the level of awareness to viral marketing of the students
according to their demographic profile which are only two categories.
Formula:
Where:
̅ 𝟏 = Is the first measurement or value

𝑿
̅ 𝟐 = Is the second measurement or value

𝑿
𝑛1 = the total sample of the first measured value
𝑛1 = the total sample of the second measured value
𝑆12 = the variance of the first measured value
𝑆22 = the variance of the second measured value
e. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if there
is a significant difference level of awareness to viral marketing of the
students according to their demographic profile that has more than two
categories.
Table of a One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

𝑠1 2 𝑆𝑆𝐴
= 𝑘−1
𝑠2 𝑆𝑆𝐸
𝑘(𝑛−1)
Where:
𝒌 𝒏
𝟐
̅. . ) = 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔,
𝑺𝑺𝑻 = ∑ ∑(𝒚𝒊𝒋 − 𝒚
𝒊=𝟏 𝒋=𝟏
̅. . )𝟐 = 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔,

̅𝒊. − 𝒚
𝑺𝑺𝑨 = 𝒏 ∑(𝒚
𝒊=𝟏
𝒌 𝒏
𝟐
̅𝒊 . ) = 𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔
𝑺𝑺𝑬 = ∑ ∑(𝒚𝒊𝒋 − 𝒚
𝒊=𝟏 𝒋=𝟏
𝒚𝒊𝒋 = the observations or respondents scores
̅= mean of the scores of the respondents

𝒚
𝒌= number of columns
𝒏= number of rows
f. Likert Scale was used to measure attitudes and behaviors using answer
choices that range from one extreme to another.

Range Scale Verbal Interpretation
1.00 - 1.49 1 Not at all Aware
1.50 - 2.49 2 Slightly Aware
2.50 - 3.49 3 Somewhat Aware
3.50 - 4.49 4 Moderately Aware
4.50 - 5.00 5 Extremely Aware
CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

This chapter presents the data gathered regarding the level of mind awareness,
familiarity about the source and the uses of viral marketing. And also the personal
impression and perception of the advantages and disadvantages of the 2nd and 3rd
year Marketing Students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines about Viral
Marketing as a promotional strategy. This proceeds to the summary, analysis,
interpretation and presentation of the said data obtained by the researchers which
were presented in tabular and graph forms.
Table 1.1
Frequency and Percentage Distribution According to Gender
Gender Frequency Percentage

Male 91 30.33
Female 182 60.67
Non – Response 27 9.00
Total 300 100.00
Gender
9.00%
30.33%
Male
Female
60.67%
Non - Response
Figure 2
Table 1.1 shows the percentage of the male and female respondents of this
research. Majority of the respondents were female with 60.67%. On the other hand,
the male respondents from the sample size were only 30.33%. Moreover, 9.00% did
not indicate their gender.
Table 1.2
Frequency and Percentage Distribution According to Year Level

Year Level Frequency Percentage

Second Year 147 49.00
Third Year 153 51.00
Total 300 100.00
Year Level
49.00%
51.00% 2nd
3rd
Figure 3
Table 1.2 illustrates the percentage of the respondents from 2nd year and 3rd year
students. There is a close difference between the numbers of respondents from the
two year level. 51% of the sample sizes are junior students while the other 49% are
sophomores.
Table 1.3
Frequency and Percentage Distribution According to Age

Age Frequency Percentage

17 - 18 years old 146 48.67
19 - 20 years old 116 38.67
21 years old and above 8 2.67
Non - Response 30 10.00
Total 300 100.00
Age
10.00%
2.67%
48.67% 17 - 18 years old

19 - 20 years old
38.67%
21 years old and above
Non - Response
Figure 4
Table 1.3 shows the number of respondents according to age. Respondents aging
from 17 to 18 years old have the highest percentage among the age bracket with
48.67%. Next to that with a ten percent difference are students with the age of 19 to
20 years old with 38.67%. 10% of the respondents did not specify their age and only
2.67% of the sample size were 21 years old and above.
Table 1.4
Frequency and Percentage Distribution According to Awareness

Are you aware of “Viral

Frequency Percentage
Marketing”?
Yes 186 62.00
No 114 38.00
Total 300 100.00
Are you aware of “Viral Marketing”?
38.00%
Yes
62.00%
No
Figure 5
Table 1.4 illustrates that out of 300, more than half of the total respondents are
aware in viral marketing with 62% and only 38% said that they were not aware of viral
marketing.
As Clifford-Marsh and Readon stated, it seems to be the case that the
presence of millions of consumers on social networks, who also share
their experiences and views on brands they like or dislike, presents a
unique opportunity to the marketers – to not only understand the
customers perspective of their brands, but also to influence their
perceptions quite rapidly using viral marketing concepts.

Table 2
What comes first to your mind when you hear “Viral Marketing”?
Table 2 shows the different interpretations in the mind of the respondents when
they hear viral marketing. Here is the result of the weighted mean obtained being
arranged chronologically: "Social media" got the highest weighted mean of 4.36. Next
What comes first to
your mind when you Standard Weighted Verbal
hear “Viral Deviation Mean Interpretation
Marketing”?
1. It is the trending
0.783 4.14 Moderately Aware
update
2. “Word-of-Mouth” 0.771 4.15 Moderately Aware
3. Social Media 0.680 4.36 Moderately Aware
4. Quickly and widely
spread or popular
is "quickly and widely spread or popular" with 4.28. Third one is "word-of-mouth"
which is 4.15 and last but not the least is "trending update" that is 4.14. Results show
the moderate awareness of the respondents towards each four indicators. It merely
means respondents pays attention with the social media they are seeing these days
and regards it as viral marketing. While trends and updates can also be viral but not
too much effective as social media.
According to Konzinets, Viral Marketing is the intentional influencing
of consumer-to-consumer communication by professional marketing
techniques. It is also otherwise known as word-of-mouth marketing
(WOMM), buzz marketing and guerilla marketing.

Table 3
Sources of Viral Marketing
Table 3 illustrates how aware the respondents with regards to the possible
sources of viral marketing given by the researchers. Among the four sources of viral
marketing in this table, ‘memes in photos/images’ has the highest weighted mean
with 4.35 followed by ‘uploaded videos’ with 4.27, ‘blogs in social networking sites’
Standard Weighted Verbal

Sources of Viral Marketing
Deviation Mean Interpretation
1. Memes in photos/images 0.741 4.35 Moderately Aware
2. Uploaded videos 0.744 4.27 Moderately Aware
3. Blogs in social networking
sites
4. Products’ personalized
name (Ex. Starbucks to 0.841 3.88 Moderately Aware
Starbuko)
Overall 0.550 4.11 Moderately Aware
with 3.95 and the source with the least weighted mean is the ‘products’ personalized
name (Starbucks to Starbuko)’ with 3.88. This means that respondents right away
consider ‘memes in photos or images’ as the source of viral marketing. Overall,
respondents are moderately aware of the given possible sources thru weighted mean.
According to Scott 2008, as you will learn the formula for success
includes a combination of some great—and free— Web content (a
video, blog entry, interactive tool, or e-book) that provides valuable
information (or is groundbreaking or amazing or hilarious or involves a

celebrity), plus a network of people to light the fire and links that make
your content very easy to share.
Table 4
Uses of Viral Marketing
Uses of Viral Standard Weighted Verbal

Marketing Deviation Mean Interpretation
1. Introduce a new
product
2. Increase the
sales/marketability of 0.705 4.25 Moderately Aware
the product
3. Increase the
awareness about the 0.690 4.34 Moderately Aware
product
4. Bring entertainment
to viewers/customers
Moderately
Overall 0.568 4.27
Aware
Table 4 shows the awareness of the respondents regarding the uses of Viral
Marketing. Based on the weighted mean the highest result is to increase the
awareness about the product garnering 4.34. Next is 4.30 which is its usage to
introduce a new product. Third is to increase the sales or marketability of the product
for 4.25. Last but not the least is to bring entertainment to viewers or customers who
gain 4.20.This means that Viral Marketing is often used as a medium to elevate the
awareness of consumers or potential buyers about the existing product of a company.
Based on the overall weighted mean, the respondents are moderately aware of the
uses of Viral Marketing.
As Clifford-Marsh and Readon stated, VM in social networks started
with videos being posted on YouTube. For example, the chicken viral
video by Burger King in 2004 received over 20m hits. However, these
days VM campaigns are more integrated campaigns that are tied to
other more traditional forms of media. For example, the campaign for
the movie The Dark Knight incorporated billboards, commercials,
social networks, and fake websites; email blasts, online puzzles etc.
The movie grossed over $1bn worldwide.
Table 5
Personal Impression towards Viral Marketing

This table shows the level of awareness towards the personal impression of
Personal Impression
Standard Weighted
towards Viral Verbal Interpretation
Deviation Mean
Marketing
1. Exaggerated 0.818 3.71 Moderately Aware

2. Convincing 0.677 3.99 Moderately Aware
3. Impressive 0.740 3.99 Moderately Aware
4. Disappointing 0.964 3.06 Somewhat Aware
Moderately
Overall 0.542 3.69
Aware
students to Viral Marketing. With 3.99 weighted mean, respondents consider Viral
Marketing as convincing and impressive. Next is ‘exaggerated’ which has 3.71 and
last is ‘disappointing’ with 3.06 weighted mean.
According to Miller et al., the corporate adoption of social media by the
fastest growing US corporations is now at record pace. Yet, because
of the novelty and potential effectiveness of Web 2.0, some marketers
may be enticed to prematurely rely on social media in promotional
plans.
Table 6
Advantages of Using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product
Advantages of using Viral

Marketing in Promoting a
Product
1. Easy to be updated of the

trends
2. Willingness to recommend
the product
3. Increases curiosity of the
people
Moderately
Overall 0.577 4.22
Aware
In terms of advantages of using Viral Marketing in promoting a product, the
respondents are moderately aware on it. With 4.33 weighted mean, it is seen that the
most advantage of using Viral Marketing in promoting a product is easier to be
updated about the trends from their colleague while the willingness to recommend the
product is the least known advantage with 4.05 weighted mean only. There are 4.28
who are moderately aware that another advantage of using Viral Marketing in
promoting a product is to increase curiosity of the people. It only means that
respondents see Viral Marketing as an efficient way to know up-to-date information
about the promotion of product.
According to Business Link 2008, there are many advantages to viral
marketing for businesses. Individuals who write about businesses (in
blogs or chat rooms) create free advertising as they do it of their own
accord. When compared to the costs of traditional marketing and

promotional techniques (which could be hundreds of thousands of
pounds for some high profile businesses) it is clear that viral marketing
would save them a considerable amount of money.
Table 7
Disadvantages of Using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product
Disadvantages of using
Viral Marketing in
Promoting a Product
1. Clutter/
Redundancy
2. Lack of proper information
about the product
3. It makes the product low-
end
Moderately
Overall 0.696 3.84
Aware
This table shows the awareness of respondents towards the disadvantages of
Viral Marketing. The most weighted mean with 3.93 is the clutter or redundancy. Next
is the lack of proper information about the product with 3.91 down to 3.66 which it
makes the product low-end. Result indicates that Viral marketing also repeats itself
that viewers or potential customers find it unsuitable to promote a product thus
wanting the promotion to be diverse.
Business Link (2008) stated that the low cost of social media
marketing and the potential to reach and influence millions of people

through personal recommendation seems to be a very lucrative option
for marketers. However, if not managed properly, such campaigns
also have the potential to get out of hand very quickly and become
unmanageable.
Table 8
Overall Level of Awareness

Level of Awareness
a. Sources of Viral Moderately
0.550 4.11
Marketing Aware
Moderately
b. Uses of Viral Marketing 0.568 4.27
Aware
c. Personal Impression Moderately
0.542 3.69
towards Viral Marketing Aware
d. Advantages of using
Moderately
Viral Marketing in 0.577 4.22
Aware
Promoting a Product
e. Disadvantages of using
Moderately
Viral Marketing in 0.696 3.84
Aware
Promoting a Product
Moderately
Overall: 0.421 4.03
Aware
Over all, the result on this table shows that respondents are moderately aware
about Viral Marketing. Among the five indicators the usage of Viral Marketing earned
the highest result of 4.27. Second are the advantages of Viral Marketing which has
4.22. Third are the different sources which have 4.11. Fourth are the disadvantages
of it for the respondents which earned 3.84. Lastly is the personal impression of
respondents towards Viral Marketing. These points out those respondents are already
familiar with Viral Marketing. They are able to recognize where this came from and
the pros and cons Viral Marketing have.
According to Wilson, Viral Marketing can be describe as any strategy
that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others,
to create the potential for exponential growth in the message’s
exposure and influence.
Table 9
Independent Samples t-test: Comparison between the Mean Assessments of
Respondents towards the Level of Awareness when Grouped According to Sex
Gender
Level of Male Female t-statistic P - value Decision Conclusion
Awareness
WM SD WM SD
1. Sources of
4.09 0.399 4.12 0.586 -0.455 0.650 Do not Reject Ho Not Significant
Viral Marketing
2. Uses of Viral
4.26 0.568 4.26 0.576 0.002 0.999 Do not Reject Ho Not Significant
Marketing
3. Personal
Impression
3.75 0.494 3.66 0.541 1.085 0.279 Do not Reject Ho Not Significant
towards Viral
Marketing
4. Advantages of
using Viral
Marketing in 4.19 0.459 4.22 0.624 -0.378 0.706 Do not Reject Ho Not Significant
Promoting a
Product
5.
Disadvantages
of using Viral
3.70 0.584 3.88 0.738 -1.588 0.114 Do not Reject Ho Not Significant
Marketing in
Promoting a
Product
Table 9 shows the comparison between the mean assessments of respondents
towards the level of awareness when grouped according to gender. The statistician
used the Independent Sample t-test because there were two groups to compare
which are the group of males and the group of females. Indicators 1 (Sources of Viral
Marketing), 2 (Uses of Viral Marketing), 3 (Personal Impression towards Viral
Marketing), 4 (Advantages of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product) and 5
(Disadvantages of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product) have p-values
greater than 0.05 level of significance (0.650, 0.999, 0.279, 0.706, and 0.114).
Table 10
Independent Samples t-test: Comparison between the Mean Assessment of
Respondents towards the Level of Awareness when Grouped According to
Year Level
Table 10 illustrates the comparison between the mean assessments of

Year Level t-
Level of P-
2nd year 3rd year statisti Decision Conclusion
Awareness value
c
WM SD WM SD
1. Sources of Viral 0.52 0.56 Do not Reject

4.19
2
4.08
8
1.342 0.181 Not Significant
Marketing Ho
2. Uses of Viral 0.53 0.59 Do not Reject

4.35
0
4.23
2
Marketing Ho
3. Personal
0.46 0.59 Do not Reject
Impression towards 3.77
7
3.67
1
Ho
Viral Marketing
4. Advantages of
using Viral 0.53 0.60
4.33
1
4.16
1
2.054 0.041 Reject Ho Significant
Marketing in
Promoting a Product
5. Disadvantages of
using Viral 0.58 0.77 Do not Reject
3.83
1
3.86
4
-0.303 0.763 Not Significant
Marketing in Ho
Promoting a Product
respondents towards the level of awareness when grouped according to year level.
Indicators 1 (Sources of Viral Marketing), 2 (Uses of Viral Marketing), 3 (Personal

Impression towards Viral Marketing), and 5 (Disadvantages of using Viral Marketing
in Promoting a Product) have p-values greater than 0.05 level of significance (0.181,
0.144, 0.202, 0.763). However, only indicator 4 (Advantages of using Viral Marketing
in Promoting a Product) showed significance with p-value less than the level of
significance (0.041<0.05).
Table 11
One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA): Comparison between the Mean
Assessment of Respondents towards the Level of Awareness when Grouped
According to Age
Age
21 years
Level of 17 - 18 19 - 20 P-
old F Decision Conclusion
Awareness years old years old value
and above
WM SD WM SD WM SD
1. Sources of Do not Not
4.15 0.506 4.10 0.511 3.72 1.015 1.868 0.158
Viral Marketing Reject Ho Significant
2. Uses of Viral Do not Not
4.29 0.472 4.26 0.628 4.00 0.418 0.791 0.455
Marketing Reject Ho Significant
3. Personal
Impression
3.79 0.482 3.56 0.558 3.92 0.465 4.850 0.009 Reject Ho Significant
towards Viral
Marketing
4. Advantages
of using Viral
Do not Not
Marketing in 4.28 0.515 4.10 0.628 4.39 0.574 2.403 0.094
Reject Ho Significant
Promoting a
Product
5.Disadvantages
of using Viral
Do not Not
Marketing in 3.81 0.638 3.82 0.776 4.00 0.558 0.214 0.808
Reject Ho Significant
Promoting a
Product
Table 11 indicates the comparison between the mean assessment of respondents
towards the level of awareness when grouped according to age. The decision is to
reject the null hypothesis if p – value is less than or equal to the 0.05 level of
significance. Indicators 1 (Sources of Viral Marketing), 2 (Uses of Viral Marketing), 4
(Advantages of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product) and 5 (Disadvantages
of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product) have p –values greater than the 0.05
level of significance (0.158, 0.455, 0.094 and 0.808) while only indicator 3 (Personal
Impression towards Viral Marketing) under the level of awareness showed
significance with p –value less than the level of significance (0.009<0.05).

Therefore, at 5% level of significance, the researchers conclude that there is a
significant difference between the mean assessment of respondents towards
“Personal Impression towards Viral Marketing” when grouped according to age.
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The previous chapter dealt with analysis and interpretation of data. In this chapter,
the researchers will present the summary of findings from the analysis on the level of
awareness of the respondents in Viral Marketing as a form of Promotional Strategy.
It will also contain the conclusions of the researchers from the comparison between
the mean assessment of respondents towards the level of awareness when grouped
according to sex, year level and age.
Summary of Findings:
The following were the findings the researchers collected from the survey
questionnaire:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 Gender
The majority of the respondents are female, one-third of the sample size is male
and merely one-tenths did not indicate their gender.
1.2 Year level
There was a slight difference on the percentage of the respondents from
sophomore and junior students with 49% and 51% respectively thus making junior
students still the highest.
1.3 Age
Students aging from 17 to18 years old have the highest number of respondents
which gain 48.67% with a ten percent difference of those who aged from 19 to 20
years old with 38.67%. 10% of the respondents did not specify their age and only
2.67% of the sample size were 21 years old and above.
2. What is the level of awareness of the respondents to Viral Marketing as a
form of promotional strategy in terms of:
2.1Awareness to Viral Marketing
In terms of the awareness of the respondents to Viral Marketing, more than half of
the students said they were aware and thirty-eight percent (112.5) of them said they
were not.
2.2 What comes first to your mind when you hear “Viral Marketing?”
Social Media is the first thing that comes to the mind of the students when they
hear “Viral Marketing” which get the highest weighted mean of 4.36, followed by
‘quickly and widely spread or popular’ have 4.28, ‘word-of-mouth’ have 4.15 while
‘trending update’ get the lowest that is 4.14 only. Results show the moderate
awareness of the respondents in each four indicators.
2.3 Source
The students are most aware that the “Memes in photos or images” is the source
of Viral Marketing which has the highest weighted mean with 4.35 followed by
‘uploaded videos’ with 4.27, ‘blogs in social networking sites’ with 3.95 and the source
with the least weighted mean is the ‘products’ personalized name (Starbucks to
Starbuko)’ with 3.88. Overall, respondents are moderately aware of the given possible
sources thru weighted mean.
2.4Uses
The students are most aware that the use of Viral Marketing is to increase the
awareness of the product to the markets based on its 4.34 weighted mean. Next is its
usage to introduce a new product which has 4.30. Third is to increase the sales or
marketability of the product for 4.25. Lastly, is to bring entertainment to viewers or
customers which gain 4.20. Based on the overall weighted mean, the respondents
are moderately aware of the uses of Viral Marketing.
2.5 Personal Impression
The students’ personal impressions toward Viral Marketing are convincing and
impressive which both have 3.99 as weighted mean. Next is ‘exaggerated’ which has
3.71 and last is ‘disappointing’ with 3.06 weighted mean.
2.6 Advantages
According to the students, the most advantage of using Viral Marketing is,it is
easier to be updated about the trends which gained 4.33 weighted mean.
Subsequently, the students assessed that the other advantage of using Viral
Marketing is to increase the curiosity of the people with 4.28. While the willingness to
recommend the product is the least known advantage with 4.05 only. Overall, the
students are moderately aware about the advantages of using the Viral Marketing in
promoting a product.
2.7 Disadvantages
According to the students, clutter or redundancy is the disadvantage of using Viral
Marketing with a weighted mean of 3.93. Next is the lack of proper information about
the product with 3.91 down to 3.66 which it makes the product low-end. Overall, the
students are moderately aware about the disadvantages of using the Viral Marketing
in promoting a product.
3. Is there a significant difference between the level awareness of the
respondents when they are grouped according to profile?
In terms of mean assessment when grouped according to gender, the overall
computed p-value (0.650, 0.999, 0.279, 0.706, 0.114) in each indicator is greater than
0.05 level of significance. It was interpreted as not significant; therefore, the
hypothesis is accepted.
In terms of mean assessment when grouped according to year level, the computed
p-value of indicators 1 (Source of Viral Marketing), 2 (Uses of Viral Marketing), 3
(Personal Impression towards Viral Marketing), and 5 (Disadvantages of using Viral
Marketing in Promoting a Product) which have 0.181, 0.144, 0.202, 0.763 respectively
are greater than the 0.05 level of significance. It was interpreted as not significant;
therefore, the hypothesis is accepted. But the p-value of indicator number 4 is less
than the 0.05 level of significance. Therefore there is a significant difference between
the mean assessment of respondents towards “Advantages of using Viral Marketing
in Promoting a Product” when grouped according to year level.

In terms of mean assessment when grouped according to age, there is no
significant difference between the mean assessment of respondents toward these
indicators: 1 (Source of Viral Marketing), 2 (Uses of Viral Marketing), 4 (Advantages
of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product), and 5 (Disadvantages of using Viral
Marketing in Promoting a Product) because the computed p-value of each indicator
(0.158, 0.455, 0.094, 0.808) are greater than the 0.05 level of significance. On the
other hand, the only indicator 3 (Personal Impression towards Viral Marketing) under
the level of awareness showed significance with p-value less than the level of
significance (0.009>0.05).
Conclusions:
On the basis of the findings revealed by the study, the researchers arrived at the
following conclusions:
The 2nd year and 3rd year marketing students of Polytechnic University of the
Philippines are “moderately aware” of Viral Marketing:
 The first thing that comes to the mind of the sophomore and junior marketing
students when they hear Viral Marketing is social media. On the other hand,
being in the trending update was the last impression.
 The respondents most considered memes in photos or images as the source of
viral marketing. Next were the uploaded videos and blogs on social networking
sites respectively. However, they are less aware that products’ personalized
name (Ex. Starbucks to Starbuko) is a possible source of Viral Marketing.

 For the usage of Viral Marketing, the researchers conclude that the students are
most aware that it can be used to increase the awareness of customers and
potential buyers about the specific product.
 The researchers conclude that the students’ personal impressions toward Viral
Marketing are convincing and impressive.
 The researchers conclude that the main advantage of using Viral Marketing in
promoting a product is for an easy access of its trends and updates to their
consumers. This can be beneficial for giving heads-up information to the people.
In the contrary, the cluttering or redundancy of Viral Marketing is the advantage
of it in promoting a product.
There is no significant difference between the mean assessment of respondents
towards “Sources of Viral Marketing”, “Uses of Viral Marketing”, “Personal Impression
towards Viral Marketing”, “Advantages of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a
Product”, and “Disadvantages of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product” when
grouped according to sex.
On the other hand, there is a significant difference between the mean assessment
of respondents towards “Advantages of using Viral Marketing in Promoting a Product”
when grouped according to year level and towards “Personal Impression towards
Viral Marketing” when grouped according to age.
Recommendations:
Based on the data gather we come up with the following recommendation:
For business markets:

1. Viral marketing is an effective strategy when it comes to cost-efficient way of
promoting their product.
2. This can be an effective way of introducing and promoting a company’s new
product out of market.
3. It will help the arising small business with a small capital at the start of opening
their business. Viral marketing will facilitate the advertisement and promotion of
their product instead of traditional media. It is accessible and more economical.
4. This will be a great help to establish brand awareness and improve brand
retention to the target market. As a result of this, incoming and existing product
will be better known by the target market and keep long time valued customers.
5. This can be an opportunity for the businesses to gain potential customers as
they have the ability to arise the interests of the people of their product.
For the teachers:
1. Teachers will be reminded to be updated and be aware of certain changes about
their subject matter marketing. This can make them encouraged and eager to go
beyond their knowledge and further research thus making them more effective and
informative.
2. Because of the diversion and changes emerging in the corporate market,
teachers can be an effective instrument to their students of giving them latest
and additional information about Viral Marketing.

3. With the support of their further research, they can professionally approve the
intuition of their students regarding the Viral Marketing and correct some
opinions about it and provide more acceptable facts.
For the undergraduate students:
1. It will help the students to have further knowledge and proper applications
regarding that said strategy.
2. Students will be encouraged to do supplementary researches about Viral
Marketing. Extending their limitations about their knowledge of the given
strategy.
For the graduate students:
1. With regards to the alterations on the curriculum, graduates of universities’
marketing department can be updated of the sudden change. Some of the
information that was relayed to them can be improved and corrected. Viral
Marketing can be added as a further knowledge.
2. Graduates working at their own companies can be more productive and efficient
employee to the tasks given to them. Viral Marketing can be of good suggestion
to their upcoming products therefore making them asset of their company.
For the customers:
1. For the customers who are aware of Viral Marketing, it will be easier for them to
gain access on the information about the product.

2. This will help them appreciate and learn more about the product therefore
making them smart consumers.
3. For the customers who are unaware of Viral Marketing, this can be the best way
to familiarize them on the product. Negative impressions can be clearly
explained and be understandable and positive ones can be retained on
customer’s mind.
4. Customers can actively give their own impressions about the product and can
provide more suggestions or comments to improve the product they patronize
and products they are interested with.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Book
Clifford-Marsh, E (2009), 'Viral marketing', Haymarket Business Publications Ltd
Electronic Resources
Business Link, (2008) Reach new customers with viral marketing. Retrieved from
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&site=1
81&itemid=5000673746
Wilson, RF.(2005), The six principles of viral marketing. Retrieved from

http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm
Published Materials
Brown, Jo, Broderick, Amanda J. and Lee, Nick, (2007), “Word of mouth
Communication within Online communities: Conceptualizing the online Social
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Appendix 1
February 9, 2014
Dr. Leopoldo Francisco T. Bragas

Dean, College of Business
Dear Dr. Bragas:
Bearers are bona-fide students of the College of Business of the Polytechnic

University of the Philippines. They are enrolled this second semester in Thesis
Writing which requires them to write a research paper.
It is for the reason that the undersigned is requesting your good office to allow for
data gathering purposes. They intend to distribute questionnaires to students of your
college.
Please feel confident that any data gathered shall be treated for academic objectives
only. Thank you for your favorable action on this matter.
Very truly yours,

Dr. Arturo C. Caras
Thesis Adviser
Noted by:
Prof. Angelina Goyenechea
Chairperson
Marketing Department
College of Business Administration
Polytechnic University of the Philippines

College of Business
Department of Marketing Management
Mabini Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila
Part I. Profile of Respondents
Name: Age:
Year Level: Gender:
Instruction: Please answer the following by putting a check in the box. Thank You!
1. Are you aware of “Viral Marketing”?
Yes No
FA-Fully aware A-Aware N-Neither

NA-Not Aware NFA-Not fully aware
Part II. Level of Awareness to Viral Marketing
2.1If yes, what comes first to your mind when you FA A N NA NFA
hear “Viral Marketing”?
It is the trending update
“Word-of-Mouth”
Social Media
Quickly and widely spread or popular
2.2 In which source of Viral Marketing are you FA A N NA NFA

familiar with?
Memes in photos/images
Uploaded videos
Blogs in social networking sites
Products’ personalized name(starbucks to starbuko)
2.3 Where to use Viral Marketing? FA A N NA NFA

Introduce a new product
Increase the sales/marketability of the product
Increase the awareness about the product
Bring entertainment to viewers/customers
2.4 What is your personal impression towards Viral FA A N NA NFA

marketing?
Exaggerated
Convincing
Impressive
Disappointing
2.5 What are the advantages of using Viral FA A N NA NFA

Marketing in promoting a product?
Easy to be updated of the trends
Willingness to recommend the product
Increases curiosity of the people
2.6What are the disadvantages of using Viral Marketing? FA A N NA NFA
Clutter/Redundancy
Lack of proper information about the product
It makes the product low-end

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POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Viral marketing describes any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on

pre-existing social networks to increase the brand or product awareness or to achieve

other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral

processes, analogous to the spread of viruses or computer viruses. It can be

EBooks, brandable software, images, or text messages.

(http://philipkotler2013.blogspot.com/). A company will try to get a product or service

seen by as many people as possible by marketing it to the target market. The

interested in a specific product or service. Although viral marketing-- which is simply

marketing is a strategy that is geared towards making awareness about company

aspects of viral marketing, it can be condensed to more compressed information.

Another definition to be considered is: “Viral marketing is the process of clearly

issues. The main intention of viral marketing is to generate awareness of a specific

marketing campaigns. However, because of the advancement of users on the

surprise, as well as something innovative- a talking or sharing point.

media space to promote their products. Defined as piece of content generated by a

a fraction as much as a TV commercial, but if it inspires people to share your message

product, such as “stain removal” for a dry-cleaning service. Companies may be

Background of the Study

Viral marketing is a widespread promotional strategy used by the marketing

form of promotional strategy.

Year 2013-2014 in the Viral Marketing as a Form of Promotional Strategy, specifically

Marketing as a form of promotional strategy in terms of source, uses, personal

impression, advantages, and disadvantages, and also if there is a significant

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Statement of the Problem

Third Year Marketing Students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines School

Year 2013-2014 in Viral Marketing as a Form of Promotional Strategy.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Awareness to viral marketing

1.4 Year level

2. What is the level of awareness of the respondents to Viral Marketing as a form

of promotional strategy in terms of:

2.4 Personal Impression

3. Is there a significant difference in the level awareness of the respondents when

they are grouped according to profile?

Hypothesis of the Study

There is no significant difference between the levels of awareness of the

respondents when they are grouped according to profile.

Significance of the Study

individuals and institution:

Business Market: This study will be beneficial in terms of making strategy in

on products thus making them more smart and wise consumer

enter the business world.

and need especially by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over

radio or television and even on billboards.

often hyperlinks provided by the web page writer.

Blogger. It is the person who writes a blog.

Buzz Marketing. It is a term used in Viral Marketing. It is the interaction of the

consumer is exposed to on a daily basis.

of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.

email or Electronic mail. It is a system of sending written messages electronically

from one computer to another.

Guerilla Marketing. It is an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional

marketing tactics are used to yield maximum results.

used to call a user of Internet, especially a habitual or avid one.