Viral email
Encyclopedia
A viral email is a certain kind of email
which rapidly propagates from person to person, generally in a word-of-mouth manner. This is an example of a viral phenomenon
, which is used for profit in viral marketing
, but can also contribute to the propagation of Internet meme
s like viral video
s.
to their friends. They do the same, and thus they rapidly spread the email, in potentially worldwide proportion. In this sense, the process is similar to that of an email chain letter
, but typically without the explicit requirement to pass it along that is a common part of the chain letter model. A common commercial application for viral emails is that of the viral advertising campaigns: promotional emails are specifically created so that they follow a viral propagation.
" content is often employed. The same study also examined reasons for not passing along emails, and noted that the most common reason was "the sense that the content was old."
, the aim is to spread awareness about a product offering, service or concept using word-of-mouth
behaviors. Unlike spam
, which is based on a massive distribution of unsolicited emails, viral emails use social networking aspects to ensure their goals of wide propagation. This is one of the strengths of viral email to marketers - while users are quick to delete email from marketers, they are less likely to delete the email if it comes from a person that they know.
As an example of viral marketing in practice, vouchers may be provided via email to customers, who are then encouraged to forward those emails on to friends and family. In 2006, Threshers (a UK
-based off-licence retail chain) emailed vouchers to staff and suppliers. The emails were then redistributed by recipients, ultimately resulting in many of their branches almost running out of stock when the vouchers were honored by the company. While at the time the Thresher Group
denied that they were attempting to run a viral email-based marketing campaign, the company repeated the exercise the following year. Similarly, a campaign for a Ferrari
test drive garnered over 40,000 responses even though only 5,000 emails had been sent.
Nevertheless, as Ruth Rettie highlights, viral emails aren't always a boon to marketers - it is just as easy for negative, or even simply erroneous, emails to be spread. Significantly, many viral emails that may appear to be advertisements are, in fact, fake, and run the risk of significantly damaging the brand.
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
which rapidly propagates from person to person, generally in a word-of-mouth manner. This is an example of a viral phenomenon
Viral phenomenon
Viral phenomena are objects or patterns able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them....
, which is used for profit in viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
, but can also contribute to the propagation of Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
s like viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
s.
Overview
Viral emails may arise in a number of situations, but the process is relatively simple: an individual receives an email, often (but not exclusively) of a political or humorous nature, he or she forwards the emailEmail forwarding
Email forwarding generically refers to the operation of re-sending an email message delivered to one email address on to a possibly different email address...
to their friends. They do the same, and thus they rapidly spread the email, in potentially worldwide proportion. In this sense, the process is similar to that of an email chain letter
Chain letter
A typical chain letter consists of a message that attempts to the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many recipients as possible...
, but typically without the explicit requirement to pass it along that is a common part of the chain letter model. A common commercial application for viral emails is that of the viral advertising campaigns: promotional emails are specifically created so that they follow a viral propagation.
Behavior
A 2004 study into viral email behaviors identified a number of reasons as to why people may pass along emails. Most of the emails that were passed along involved humor, although other factors - such as the presence of naked pictures and warnings about crime - were identified as being significant. This tends to be replicated in commercial viral emails, where humor is a common theme, and where more "risqueRisqué
Risqué is the third studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1979, the same year that Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers wrote and produced Sister Sledge's massively successful We Are Family....
" content is often employed. The same study also examined reasons for not passing along emails, and noted that the most common reason was "the sense that the content was old."
Commercial implications
In viral marketingViral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
, the aim is to spread awareness about a product offering, service or concept using word-of-mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
behaviors. Unlike spam
E-mail spam
Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
, which is based on a massive distribution of unsolicited emails, viral emails use social networking aspects to ensure their goals of wide propagation. This is one of the strengths of viral email to marketers - while users are quick to delete email from marketers, they are less likely to delete the email if it comes from a person that they know.
As an example of viral marketing in practice, vouchers may be provided via email to customers, who are then encouraged to forward those emails on to friends and family. In 2006, Threshers (a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based off-licence retail chain) emailed vouchers to staff and suppliers. The emails were then redistributed by recipients, ultimately resulting in many of their branches almost running out of stock when the vouchers were honored by the company. While at the time the Thresher Group
Thresher Group
First Quench Retailing was the largest independent off-licence retail chain in the UK, with around 1,200 shops operating under several retail brands, though all have now been closed. Its head office was based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire...
denied that they were attempting to run a viral email-based marketing campaign, the company repeated the exercise the following year. Similarly, a campaign for a Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
test drive garnered over 40,000 responses even though only 5,000 emails had been sent.
Nevertheless, as Ruth Rettie highlights, viral emails aren't always a boon to marketers - it is just as easy for negative, or even simply erroneous, emails to be spread. Significantly, many viral emails that may appear to be advertisements are, in fact, fake, and run the risk of significantly damaging the brand.