From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
- Marketing research is the sourcing of information and data for businesses to obtain more knowledge about relevant areas pertaining to their products or services. In this case, [Viral Marketing | viral marketing] research is the discovering and obtaining of information which can aid marketers in implementing viral marketing projects effectively. However, the concept of viral marketing is based primarily on word of mouth, thus some viral marketers believe that research for data or information is redundant and that word of mouth alone is enough to promote their products or brands (Lake, 2005). Further more, the nature of viral marketing does not allow marketers to control the marketing process or measure its effectiveness accurately (Lake, 2005). Although it has been said to be one of the most effective form of marketing, it still remains as one of the least researched marketing method (Lake, 2005).
Reasons of Limitations
- There are two main reasons why viral marketing is one of the marketing methods which has the least amount of research being conducted on.
- Marketers believe that it is difficult to obtain information and data on word of mouth as it is based on psychographics such as attitudes, beliefs, intentions, tastes and preferences (Lake, 2005).
- Marketers believe that it is hard to change or influence word of mouth thus rendering viral marketing research efforts “fruitless�? (Lake, 2005).
Viral Marketing Research Guidelines
- Laura Lake, the owner of marketing agency, ZealSpin Inc. argues that viral marketing research should not just be contained to word of mouth only (Lake, 2005). She believes that viral marketing researches should be more specific and attempt to discover answers to questions like:
- How are current customers responding to the product/service?
- What do the prospective customers feel or think about the product/service?
- What is the degree of influence which current customers have on other prospective customers and why?
- What are the factors which propels a user to spread information about the product/service to others?
- What is the primary source of referrals?
Adapted from http://marketing.about.com/cs/viralmarketing/a/viralvalue.htm
- With a more specific focus on the research, viral marketers may be able to discover how word of mouth influences the image or popularity of their brand, and to learn how effective their viral marketing campaign is and the reasons behind its performance.
References
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--Jamie Tang 00:45, 28 Oct 2005 (EST)
