An Investigation of the Evaluation of the Viral Marketing Research

1. Introduction

Viral marketing refers to sharing online marketing campaigns among consumers (Kozinets et al., 2010; Leskovec et al., 2007; de Bruyn and Lilien, 2004; Nantel and Sénécal, 2001). It does not ecompass campaigns against organisations (Kaikati and Kaikati, 2004) but to those experiences where consumers possess the motivation to share a message, which is sometimes clearly commercial and others where it is not (Cho, Jisu, and Faber, 2012; Kontraband, 2006). It has only been just over the last six years that studies of viral marketing (VM) have begun to appear in the top ranked journals (based on the findings of this research 44% of which are not from the marketing field). Given that the research area is so new, there is no thorough summation and/or an evaluation of the extant literature. This paper will address such a gap applying a comprehensive framework for an empirical literature review developed by Berthon, Nairn and Money (2003), the paradigm funnel. They propose that the literature is examined across four categories, moving from empirical observations, to applications of various methods, followed by specific theoretical contributions and finally to the underpinning paradigmatic assumptions within the research. In other words; from the observable to the implicit, where “anomalies on one level of the funnel can potentially be resolved by recourse to a deeper level” (Berthon, Nairn and Money, 2003; pp. 57).