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Viral Marketing is a marketing scheme that is able to generate interest and the

potential sale of a brand or product through “messages that spread like a virus” in

other words, it can spread its name or impact quickly from person to person. The

promotion can be spread very quickly as the consumers themselves have been

exposed to it so often that they can identify the item quickly and be selective as

they are already informed of its effects and benefits.

Communication between consumers and businesses is what keeps viral marketing

alive. For example, reviews of products being featured on famous Youtube channels

can bring attention to the product itself as the product and its effects can be spread

word to word by many people. Another example can be seen when a rookie

musician begins a feud with a celebrity to gain publicity. Although the two

approaches may seem different, they are aiming for the same goal: being in the

spotlight to profit out of their publicity. In some viral marketing, the constant

announcement of their product’s effects can evoke a sense of credibility to the

company and make the consumers be more attracted to that company. However,

the biggest function behind viral marketing is the ‘mere-exposure effect’. This effect

is where people feel more comfortable and attracted to things that are familiar to

them. For this familiarity, viral marketing seeps into large platforms and the media

to have the ‘biggest voice’ in the market so that all the consumers will look at

them, not their competitors.

Virality is a double-edged sword; it allows the product or company to boost

awareness in the fastest and shortest way. However, the intended result may not

be achieved. Positive attention that once was brought on a product can turn into

an even more negative light as consumers find the product deceiving if the effects

that were promoted by viral marketing are menial. On the other hand, a new star

who was mocked on social media due to her bad behavior could be scoring deals

for advertisements and movies as her negative attention also brought light on her

beauty and talents. This is due to the nature of virality where luck is an important

factor that determines the success of this marketing strategy. While conventional

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