WHAT IS VIDEO VIRALITY? AN INTRODUCTION TO VIRALITY METRICS

Video virality is acknowledged by many marketing professionals as an integral aspect of digital marketing. It is being mentioned a lot as a buzz word but there has not been any definitive terminology ascribed to what exactly it is. It is common to hear a phrase such as, “this video has gone viral”. However, this raises fundamental or philosophical questions such as, “what exactly is virality – Is it a video with large views or shares, or both”? If it is “How many views or shares must a video have to be considered a “viral” video? “How quickly must a video be passed on from person to person to achieve “virality” and how long must a video stay viral? Is there a relationship between a videos views and shares, likes and “share though rate” and dislikes and “share through rate”? These questions pose a conundrum and hence to piece the missing puzzle an amalgamation of literature needs to be synthesised to answer these questions adequately. The current study reviews the extant literature on viral marketing, explores the differences of opinions presented and associated challenges each of the definitions has in order to develop a working definition for video virality and how it can be measured. It also brings to light a much less focused construct identified as popularity whose emphasis is on the staying power of viral videos. The virality growth model was developed to predict the level virality and compared with other models in literature. In order to derive the working definition for virality, data from a pre-selected range of viral YouTube videos were collated. New formulae such as the STR (Share Through Rate), Relative Likes and Relative Dislikes was created to assess the extent of virality. Based on the STR formula, a threshold for virality was established and then categorized to give a greater insight on the different levels of virality. Next, the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship strengths among the set of video viral drivers i.e. between views, shares, share through rate, likes and dislikes. The Spearman’s rank correlation was preferred for the analysis as the data is monotonic (nonlinear). This paper offers a conceptual and practical understanding of video virality. The concept of viral video marketing is advanced by introducing a “Share Through Rate” and “Relative Likes Rate” to the definition of viral video marketing as well as the distinctive categorizations. Finally, and most significantly, the study provides an exhaustive answer to the key fundamental questions such as what is used as a basis for virality and what it takes for a video to go viral

2015 Author Recognition Bibliography

https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/authorrecognition/1009/thumbnail.jp

Cognitive and Emotional Frames of University-Brand Videos on Social Media: College Millennial Perceptions.

M.A. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

The Effect of Emotional Intensity, Arousal, and Valence On Online Video Ad Sharing

This dissertation examines the effect of emotional factors, such as pleasure, arousal, and intensity, on online video ad sharing. Previous studies found that the emotions evoked by online video ads could influence consumers’ ad sharing intentions. However, it remains uncertain which emotional factors trigger ad sharing behavior. Some researchers argue that positive or high-arousal emotions (e.g., excitement) exert greater influence on ad sharing than negative or low-arousal emotions (e.g., sadness). However, these studies do not explain why video ads that evoke low-arousal or unpleasant emotions are also widely shared on social media. Based on the theory of social sharing of emotion and the emotion regulation theory, this research proposes that emotional intensity is a critical factor influencing ad sharing. This dissertation has two research objectives: (a) to examine the underlying mechanism of how emotional factors influence consumers’ intention to share online video ads and (b) to investigate if the relationships between emotional factors and ad sharing intention can be applied to ad-sharing behavior in a real social media setting. More specifically, the first objective is to investigate the effects of emotional factors, including intensity, arousal, and pleasure, on ad sharing intention through self-expression, social interaction, altruism, and entertainment motives. The second objective is to examine if expressed emotions in YouTube comments can predict the number of shares in a real social media setting. To achieve these research objectives, this research adopted a methodological triangulation approach using self-report survey data (in Study 1) and social media data (in Study 2). The results of the two studies suggest that emotional intensity is the most critical factor influencing online video ad sharing. Also, Study 1 showed that the indirect effect of emotional intensity on online video ad sharing intention mediated by social interaction was greatest. Emotional arousal positively influenced consumers’ intention to share online video ads (in Study 1) but did not affect real sharing behaviors (in Study 2). The effect of emotional pleasure was not significant in both studies. This research contributes to the expansion of viral advertising research by proposing emotional intensity as a critical factor influencing online video ad sharing

IV Conferência Ibérica de Inovação na Educação com TIC (ieTIC 2016): livro de atas

Este livro contém todos os artigos apresentados na IV Conferência Ibérica de Inovação na Educação com TIC realizado no Instituto Politécnico de Bragança nos dias 6 e 7 de Maio de 201