Though we live in a society that is constantly evolving, one method of communication that we know will always be there is word of mouth. Oral communication has been the world's oldest and possibly most effective forms of marketing, however it has also has been deemed as one of the most misunderstood. It wasn't until recently that one of the most it has reshaped itself into what we recognize as viral marketing (Helm 2000). Viral marketing, defined by Dictionary.com, is "a direct marketing technique in which a company persuades internet users to forward its publicity materials in emails; a marketing strategy in which conventional media are eschewed in favour of various techniques designed to generate word-of mouth publicity, in hope of creating a fad or craze." Though it is not technically verbal, it is cheap, easy to delegate and can be spread quickly.
According to Sabrina Helm (2000), this newly developed form of marketing is a "communication and distribution concept that relies on customers to transmit digital products via electronic mail to potential customers in their social sphere and to animate these contacts to also transmit the products." Viral marketing is often described as "buzz marketing" meaning, what we commonly recognize as word of mouth is virtualized in a sense that consumers pass along company information to their own peers. This includes the sharing of articles, reviews, videos, and more. In other words, information is passed along through the buzz of other people (Laudon & Traver, 2001, p.381). Viral marketing is different from conventional marketing in the way that the content is distributed. In conventional marketing it is common for the advertiser to use a marketing plan which focuses on their audience's demographics, hobbies, most visited websites, etc. From that point, the advertiser makes sure that their message appears wherever their targeted consumer may be.
