The Importance of Emotions in the Dynamics of Sharing Viral Cosmetic Videos

Abstract: Viral marketing is becoming an increasingly popular method of advertising in all industries. Current research in this field provides a general overview of the key points that cause an ad to go viral. Amongst them, emotions have been found to be one of main aspects of a video that cause it to be shared in social networks. The information available in this field is very general due to the newness of this topic. The purpose of this paper is to narrow the information in this research field by focusing on a specific product category (cosmetic-hygiene products) to identify more closely the emotions that influence target individuals to share these videos. To gain a better understanding of viral marketing, a qualitative method is used in assessing the data collected. Emotions are organized using Plutchik’s wheel of emotions and to evaluate the strength of emotions and their impacts on shareability. Additional aspects of the videos, such as the content and the change in emotions during the viewings are also analysed to determine the motivations that motivate users to share them. The research enhances existing theories by finding that certain combinations and strengths of emotions influence the likelihood of sharing the videos. This research also provides a deeper insight into the sharing motivations of viral videos.