Viral Marketing or Electronic Word-of-Mouth Advertising: Examining Consumer Responses and Motivations to Pass Along Email

Although viral marketing has garnered a great deal of attention in the trade press, almost nothing is known about the motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of the people (those sending the email to others) that constitute the essential component of any such strategy.

Viral Marketing or Electronic Word-of-Mouth Advertising: Examining Consumer Responses and Motivations to Pass Along Email

Joseph E. Phelps The University of Alabama

Regina Lewis Dunkin'Brands Inc

Lynne Mobilio Lewis/Mobilio Research

David Perry The University of Aiabama

Niranjan Raman impactRx Inc

These studies were sponsored by Plannetfeedback.com (www.planetfeedback.com), an internet-based infomediary company based in Cincinnati.

An earlier version of this work will appear as a chapter in the forthcoming book, Online Consumer Psychology, C. Haugvedt, K. Macleit, and R. Yalch (eds.).

INTRODUCTION

As the internet has grown, so has web-advertising research. Nonetheless, few studies have examined...

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