Know-How Exchange : E-Marketing

Dear Nadia,

No, it's because viral marketing isn't really something one can do research in. Viral marketing happens DESPITE rules, not because
of them; it happens AGINST the odds, not with them, and it happens AWAY from the usual mainstream media, not in its path.

Viral marketing happens when social undercurrents take hold,
not when researchers are standing watching, clip boards and stop watches in hand. Viral marketing uses social proof, peer review, happenstance, and sheer bloody minded luck to make an impression.

Viral marketing isn't ordinarily something one can PLAN in the same way that it's not possible to predict the weather more than
a few days out because it's governed by rules and laws that don't readily apply to the world of measurement. Things like chaos theory, being know, liked, and trusted; being quirky, and being significant enough to create its own momentum.

THAT's why you're not finding that much research material. Instead of LOOKING for material, STOP looking and START thinking. Start wondering what it is that DRIVES people, wonder out loud what it is that STIMULATES people to pass something on to their friends, who, in turn, pass it on to THEIR friends. That's why it's called VIRAL marketing: each pass of the information mutates the meaning just that little bit, but it's enough to make
the meaning INTERESTING and worth noting by other people.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
Wilmington, DE, USA

No, I would say not. There are many unexplored segments. One great story is the hotmail.com story -

https://www.theviralmarketingblog.com/2009/02/hotmail-the-classic-viral-mar...