Topic: "Understanding why a certain product advertising goes viral"

LITERATURE NUMBER 1

What Is Viral Marketing?

Viral marketing seeks to spread information about a product or service from person to
person by word of mouth or sharing via the internet or email. The goal of viral marketing is to inspire
individuals to share a marketing message to friends, family, and other individuals to create exponential
growth in the number of its recipients.

Understanding Viral Marketing

In the case of viral marketing, "viral" refers to something that spreads quickly and widely across its
audience. Viral marketing is a deliberate enterprise, though the distribution of a message happens
organically. As such, social media provides the perfect ecosystem for viral marketing, though it has its
roots in traditional word-of-mouth marketing.

Viral Marketing Characteristics

All viral marketing examples deliberate or accidental have three things in common: the message,
messenger, and environment. Each part must be leveraged to create a successful viral marketing
campaign. Viral marketing campaigns may be created by any size business and can stand alone or be a
part of a larger traditional campaign. These campaigns may use several tools (e.g., videos, games,
images, email, text messaging, and free products) to appeal to the emotions of users or viewers, raise
awareness of a worthy cause, and make it easier to consume and share. Viral marketing often relies on
the help of an influencer, who has a large network of followers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Viral Marketing

Viral marketing allows companies to better market their products by reaching consumers that
ordinarily would not be targeted by its traditional marketing campaigns. This expanded reach allows the
company to enter new markets and potentially expand its customer base. When done creatively,
companies can trigger viral responses. For example, Burger King created a buzz when it posted pictures
of its month-old, moldy Whopper in response to McDonald's claim that their burgers don't decompose.
Burger King asserts that it uses only fresh ingredients and no preservatives, which should provide a
better and healthier outcome for its customers. Its unappealing looking burger was visible proof of that
claim

Reference: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/viral-marketing.asp

LITERATURE NUMBER 2

What is viral marketing (and does it actually work in 2020)? 

        Written by Brent Barnhart. 
                      If you’re still itching for your business to “go viral,” we don’t blame you. Because
brands rightfully want to get their names and content in front of as many people as possible. In
fact, raising brand awareness is number one among the top social media goals of marketers
today. This explains why so many businesses look toward viral marketing as an opportunity to
catapult themselves into social media superstardom. But does chasing trends and one-off
moments really make sense these days? Shouldn’t brands be focusing on social media as part
of a bigger marketing funnel instead? The concept of viral marketing definitely deserves some
revisiting as we enter a new decade. That’s exactly why we put together this guide. 

What is viral marketing, anyway? Viral marketing is a style of promotion that

relies on an audience to generate the message of a product or service. Marketing is considered
“viral” when it reaches the point where it’s being shared by the public at large rather than just its
target audience. If achieved, your message will be in nearly everyone’s social media feed. 

How does viral marketing work, though? Well, much of modern viral marketing on
social media can be illustrated by the popularity of memes. Although not necessarily tied to a
specific product, how memes spread goes hand in hand with the principles going viral.

Reference: 
https://sproutsocial-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/sproutsocial.com/insights/viral-
marketing /?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&amp&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D
%3D#aoh =16328928982758&referrer=https%3A%2F
%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%2 51%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F
%2Fsproutsocial.com%2Finsights%2Fviral-marketing %2F 

LITERATURE NUMBER 3

How To Make A Product Go Viral: The Holy Grail Of Digital Marketing 

POST WRITTEN BY Lin Grosman Lin is Director of Communications & PR at GoDataFeed,

a multichannel platform that helps retailers sell more on e-commerce channels.

No matter how great your next product is, it won’t sell to a single customer if no one
knows it exists. Of course, the more people you can market your product to, the better your
chances of dramatically increasing sales. That’s why making a product go viral has become
such a popular goal for marketers. When that happens, potential customers from all over the
world share your product with even more potential customers, maximizing your reach and doing
so for free. Obviously, that would be incredible, especially if you can make your products go
viral again and again. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be as daunting a task as it often sounds.
Instead, just follow these five steps to leverage viral marketing for your next product. 

1. Clarify your product’s practical value. 

Products that go viral are often carried there by marketing campaigns that are fun,
engaging and unique. However, there’s a misconception out there that creating an entertaining
video or social media post is all it takes. 

2. Make sure your product stands out. 

Another important way to prepare for your product’s viral moment in the sun is by making
sure that once it’s there, it stands out from the crowd. Something as simple as the color scheme
you choose for your product could help it draw attention when customers use it in the real
world. 

3. Build up your social media following. 

When researchers looked at the phenomenon of products going viral, they found that “in
the age of social media, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has become a powerful source of
social influence and virality, ‘the holy grail of digital marketing.’” In short, your product isn’t going
viral without social media. So, if you don’t already have a social media following, start there. If
you do have one, take some time to add to your follower count even more. In fact, you can even
do this in tandem with promoting your new product. 

4. Incentivize sharing. 

Building an army of social media followers will pay off in a big way come launch day, but
that’s not the goal here. The goal is for your launch to go viral so you can capture as much
market share as possible. Do this by mobilizing that army to share information about your
product far and wide. 

5. Give people more than a product to share. 

Another really important way to incentivize sharing is to create a social media post that
features more than just your product. Most people aren’t going to share an ad for a product
simply because they really like it (unless you incentivize them per the last tip).

Reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/08/20/how-t o-
make-a-product-go-viral-the-holy-grail-of-digital-marketing/?sh=14f7a1e25d3e

LITERATURE NUMBER 4

What Is Viral Marketing? Examples and Advantages

 Written by Alba Fraile | Mar 1, 2021 10:56:00 AM

Every day we hear about viral marketing, a new viral video or other content that spreads
at the speed of light. But what exactly is it? And how did it get to be viral? Is it due to a viral product or
viral advertising? Or is it simply luck that randomly makes something such a big hit. This type of content
usually has a well-designed viral strategy behind it, but virality is also due to luck, creativity, and
preparation. To break down this concept, we'll explain the definition, how a viral campaign works, the
advantages of viral marketing, and show you some examples of successful viral marketing.

How a Viral Campaign Works

In theory, a viral marketing campaign is very simple to carry out. You create a video or
another type of content which is attractive to your target audience, put it on the internet, and promote
it. Form there, all you can do is wait for the fuse to light and for users to start sharing like crazy.

In some cases, virality happens by accident. For example, when a video is uploaded by a
private user that all of a sudden becomes popular and begins to circulate all around the internet. As for
the dispersion strategy for brand videos, there are two types: the shown or the concealed. In the
former, the user is aware from the first moment that they are viewing advertising or branded content,
while in the latter the participation of the brand is only revealed later. If you apply concealed marketing
techniques, it is important to be very careful that the user does not feel tricked, cheated, or deceived
since this could turn the viral campaign against you. No matter what strategy you choose, remember to
never ever become "spammy" or go overboard while sharing the content. Instead of repeating your
message over and over again, the best strategy is to find a good place and time and let the “viral fuse”
light itself.

Reference: https://www-cyberclick-
net.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.cyberclick.net/numericalblogen/ what-is-viral-marketing-
advantages-and-examples?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&hs_amp
=true&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16328928982758&referrer=h ttps
%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A %2F
%2Fwww.cyberclick.net%2Fnumericalblogen%2Fwhat-is-viral-marketing-advantage s-and-
examples

LITERATURE NUMBER 5

Why Some Videos Go Viral 

From the September 2015 Issue 

In “Puppyhood,” a video for Purina Puppy Chow produced with Buzz Feed, a guy
spontaneously adopts a puppy, and they bond in typical roommate fashion. A viral video is
every marketer’s dream. It’s the surest way to cut through the noise of the internet. And studies
show that social viewers—people who watch shared content rather than videos they’ve found
by browsing are far more likely to buy a product and recommend it to others. Why do some
videos catch fire and others just sputter out? Unruly, a marketing technology company, offers an
answer. Its analysis of some 430 billion video views and 100,000 consumer data points reveals
the two most powerful drivers of viral success: psychological response (how the content makes
you feel) and social motivation (why you want to share it). The greater the intensity of feeling the
content evokes, the more likely people are to share it, the web’s answer to word of mouth, the
most effective form of advertising.

Reference: 
https://hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/hbr.org/amp/2015/09/why-some-videos-go-viral?a
mp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=163289
28982758&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&
ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fhbr.org%2F2015%2F09%2Fwhy-some-videos-go-viral