In today’s technology driven society, Internet has become one of the most convenient and cost effective method of marketing. One of the most important tools used by the marketers is viral marketing. The rise of the internet, emailing and social networking sites have made viral marketing a cheap and convenient tool for marketers. Viral marketing is a relatively new method in which consumers not only get to watch an advertisement but also share it with their social network and hence it has the potential to quickly reach larger audiences at lower costs. The purpose of this paper is to study the emerging marketing trends like online word of mouth & viral marketing and explain how effective they are in building brand awareness among the potential consumers and in developing consumer responses. This article is a literature review that presents a summary of findings of all key aspects of viral marketing and how effective it is in consumer decision making process.
Keywords: Brand awareness, Social Networking Site, Viral marketing, Word of Mouth
