Abstract:
Problem: Innovations in technology is reaching new heights and standards with every passing day which has given rise to a new dimension of communication, namely the viral marketing communication. Viral marketing communication is a distinctive way to spread a marketing message via individuals over the internet. Although still in an impulsive stage, viral marketing communication has given huge data to marketing firms and other data collection agencies for further filtration and getting the exact target groups for certain marketing exposure. However the information is not definite and could not be verified as this new form of communication is still not a perfect tool. In addition to this, research on consumer perception and response is limited to such marketing techniques.
Purpose: The focus of this thesis is to explore consumer behavior, perception and response to this new dimension of marketing strategy. 100 respondents were selected to share their opinion via a structured questionnaire in which three major areas for viral communication were targeted. 1) Email, 2) Videos, 3) Social network.
Method: The research has a qualitative approach to the analysis and hypothesis gathered. The findings provide helpful insight as to how consumers respond through the medium of word of mouth communication.
Conclusion: The crux of the findings that helped us concludes the result is, 1. Word of mouth communication helps consumer to gather useful information but ultimately is not very convincing when it comes to making a decision. 2. Level of trust and attachment to the source has different impact on consumers on different levels. Credibility of the information is the key. 3. Consumers are more accessible when it comes to the service market more than actual products. 4. Negative VMC has a stronger influence on consumers than positive. With this research, we hope to gather useful insights from consumer’s point of view on virtual marketing communication which is potentially going to be one of the most used forms of marketing communication soon.
