Blog Straight Talk
Challenging the Viral Model
Posted by kevingoodman • 4/23/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS]
Topics: Buzz, chain letters, Marketing, viral, word of mouth
A new study published by PNAS finds that the viral phenomena is more complex than previously thought. Instead of a fan shape the researchers found information was passed only to a single individual 90 percent of the time. The researchers followed several chain letters and graphed them. They often formed long linier branches of one on one transmission before breaking out into several new branches. It also took many more transmissions than previously thought before the viral email was widespread because.
The previous thought was that the message doubled every generation of transmission now it's believed to double with ten successions.
Ultimately this gets to the point that a true viral message is a complex mechanism and vulnerable until it has succeeded many transmissions.
Some food for thought/discussion. Read the full study @
www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/105/12/4633
User Comments
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Certainly interesting and worth noting that the studies applied to email chain letters. Changing the message context and adding certain social websites would probably change the mix. I believe viral marketing has a lot of potential but that it is also challenging.
It is amazing that a message would get passed ten generations with only a single individual in each generation passing it forward.
I'm guessing, I don't know for sure but I believe that many times the message was broadcasted to many more people but then it would only be a single individual that carried it foward. -
You make a good point
“Also it seems to me that the key aspect that most attempts at viral messages lack is the effect of using the message causing it's spread.”
I guess there needs to be motivation. I am still very intrigued about how these chain emails spread. But there are whole other dimensions to viral marketing.
A good psychological model for the viral message is the cultic one. Viral is not about selling - it is about winning converts who in turn convert others. It seems to be an ideology rather than a rational pitch.
So here is another question?
What is more important in viral success – brand identity? Communication strategy? Or Marketing Message?
How do we turn brands into cults? -
Here is an article written by another blogger who addressed this recently.
"Ebola or Herpes Marketing"
www.weakestlinkconsulting.com/2008/07/ebola-or-herpes-marketing-the-blogpre...
I found it interesting and the analogy, while graphic, is very true.
~the GURU
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