Going viral

: how does viral online video content and specific features influence attitudes toward the brand?

Abstract

Watching videos online has become an ordinary activity, which brands and advertising agencies have been progressively incorporating into their strategies through viral marketing campaigns. Furthermore, it has been verified that to induce consumers to pass-along, viral online video advertisings tend to rely on the use of increasingly provocative content. Still, few experimental researches have examined underlying processes and responses evoked by this feature. In order to fill this void, experimental research, progressed online, was conducted, in which the effects of this strong appeal in forward intentions, advertising processing, brand memorability and purchase intentions are examined. Results insinuate that online videos comprising higher levels of perceived provocation appear to stimulate a higher pass-along probability, more complex formulations of ad related emotions and feelings and better brand memorability. Moreover, it appears also to affect attitudes toward the brand. Nevertheless, limits exist to the manner in which provocation can be portrayed. This study discriminates conditions under which managers can envisage to effectively use such powerful appeal while maximizing viral marketing potential gains.

Date of Award	Jun 2012
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Andreas Kaplan (Supervisor)