Viral Marketing

A form of advertising that is in some way so interesting that individuals voluntarily pass it along to other people they know, effectively spreading the advertising like a communicable disease.

Significance

Viral marketing is like the Holy Grail of advertising -- eternally sought but rarely captured. Humorous videos seem to be one of today's most effective conduits for viral marketing. For instance, a hilarious Volkswagon commercial called "The Force," shows a child in a Darth Vader costume attempting to use the Force on everyday objects until he finally appears to achieve success on his father's Passat. The video has now garnered over 41 million views on YouTube, easily qualifying it as viral. Chain emails can also be considered viral, but they rarely contain marketing.

Click here to return to the main index.