viral social marketing: an examination of ad perception and forwarding behaviour based on physical...
DESCRIPTION
The project is the first of its type to explore the reach and effectiveness of an internet viral ‘social’ marketing campaign in disseminating physical activity promotion information using the internet. Viral marketing is an approach that systematically facilitates and encourages people to pass along the selected marketing message using the individual’s own contact network. Viral marketing is a cost-effective method of promoting goods and services in the commercial arena. Phelps and colleagues (2004) advise developers of viral marketing campaigns to ensure messages evoke a strong emotion: humour, fear, sadness or inspiration. Successful viral marketing campaigns have five distinct characteristics: they are fun or intriguing, they are attached to a product that is easy to use, or highly visible, they are well targeted, they are associated with a credible source and combine technologies (Dobele, Toleman & Beverland, 2005). When examining the motives for forwarding viral advertisements, Phelps and colleagues (2004) suggest that the desire to "do good" by email forwarders makes viral marketing for social causes particularly attractive. Two thousand people were sent an ad with a physical activity message, with a link to a subsequent website with further physical activity information. Web metrics for each message were recorded, as well as click throughs to the related physical activity promotion website. A follow up survey was emailed to participants to determine demographic information, reactions to the ad, forwarding behaviour and physical activity levels. Initial results show that a viral effect was not established, because the number of views did not exceed 2000. Regardless of this, for a minimum outlay (TRANSCRIPT
Viral social marketingViral social marketing
An examination of ad An examination of ad perception and forwarding perception and forwarding behaviour based on physical behaviour based on physical
activityactivityDanya Hodgetts
Department of Health and Human Performance
Central Queensland University
Viral marketingViral marketing
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Successful viral marketing Successful viral marketing campaigns…campaigns…
are fun or intriguing
are attached to a product that is easy to use, or highly visible
are well targeted
are associated with a credible source
combine technologies Dobele, Toleman & Beverland, 2005
42 Below42 Below
www.42below.co.nz
The Stubby SymphonyThe Stubby Symphony
www.stubbysymphony.com.au
AthsmaAthsma
Global Corporate ChallengeGlobal Corporate Challenge
Global Corporate ChallengeGlobal Corporate Challenge
Study methodsStudy methodsAn ad was designed that attempted to meet the criteria for motivating recipients to forward to message2,000 subjects were randomly selected from the 10000 steps databaseAn email with a link to the ad was sentAt the end of each ad was a link to a subsequent website with further physical activity information - www.10000steps.com.auAd views were measured, as well as click throughs to the 10000 steps websiteA follow up survey was emailed to participants to determine demographic information, reactions to the ad, forwarding behaviour and physical activity levels“The ad”
Ad resultsAd results
Reactions to ads and forwarding behaviour
0
1
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5
Funny Interesting Goodcause
Surprising Clever Interestingfor others
Unique
Mea
n re
actio
n
Yes No
* ** * * *
* = significant difference in ad forwarding, p=<0.05
Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Rating and forwarding behaviour
42
44
46
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56
58
Yes No
Forwarding behaviour
Go
din
leis
ure
act
ivit
y sc
ore
* = significant difference in ad forwarding, p=<0.05
*
DiscussionDiscussion
Cost of ad
User created content
Obligations to corporate partners
Viral release
Monitoring and measurement
DiscussionDiscussion
Questions, comments?Questions, comments?
References Bright, A. (2000). The role of social marketing in leisure and
recreation management. Journal of Leisure Research, 32(1). 12–17.
Dobele A., Toleman, D., & Beverland, M. (2005). Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message through viral marketing. Business Horizons. 48.143–149.
Maibach, E. W. (2002). Explicating social marketing: what is it, and what isn’t it? Social Marketing Quarterly, 8(4). 7–13.
Phelps, J., Lewis, R., Mobilio, L., Perry, D., Raman, N. (2004). Examining consumer responses and motivations to pass along email. Journal of Advertising Research. (333–348).