Date of Award
Summer 8-2011
Degree Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Committee Chair
Fei Xue
Committee Chair Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Committee Member 2
David Davies
Committee Member 2 Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Committee Member 3
Mary Lou Sheffer
Committee Member 3 Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of 280 online videos that appeared on the Advertising Age weekly chart of the top ten viral videos of the week; the videos appeared on the chart from March 23rd 2009 to March 9th 2011. The videos were analyzed along four areas of observation including the advertiser characteristics, the formatting characteristics of the video, the messaging strategies of each video, and the level of involvement the product would require for a consumer to make a purchase. Through examining the components of each video, a thread of commonality was revealed. Cumulatively, the dominant themes and characteristics within each video provide identifying characteristics, much like a fingerprint, that when utilized together, provide the greatest potential for the marketing video to become a viral experience.
Copyright
2011, Thomas Grant Broadus II
Recommended Citation
Broadus, Thomas Grant II, "The Viral Fingerprint: A Content Analysis of Popular Viral Advertisements" (2011). Master's Theses. 230.
https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/230
Included in
Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons