Segmenting the audience of a cause-related marketing viral campaign. (August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mora, Elísabet; Vila-Lopez, Natalia; Küster-Boluda, Inés
• Is Part Of: International journal of information management. Volume 59(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-08
• Subjects: Cause-Related marketing -- Affinity marketing -- Viral video -- Pet adoption advertising; Social sciences -- Information services -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; Information science -- Periodicals; Management information systems -- Periodicals; Knowledge management -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Documentation, Services de -- Périodiques; Sciences sociales -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'information -- Périodiques; Systèmes d'information de gestion -- Périodiques; Information science; Management information systems; Social sciences -- Information services; Social sciences -- Research; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 025.52068
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102296
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-4012

Abstract

Highlights: Spectators of a viral marketing campaign are not homogenous. Sstrong-affinity segment: familiar with the sponsoring brand and the promoted cause. Intermediate-affinity segment: familiar with the brand/or the cause. Week-affinity segment: unfamiliar with brand and the cause. A cause-marketing viral campaign improves all the attitudes in the strong-affinity segment. A cause-marketing viral campaign improves brand attitudes in the week-affinity segment. A viral campaign does not affect attitudes in the intermediate-affinity spectators. Abstract: This paper analyses the attitudinal effect of a cause-related marketing campaign which becomes viral through social networks. This attitudinal response is observed in three Internet user segments with different affinity levels: i) strong (familiar with the sponsoring brand and the promoted cause); ii) intermediate (familiar with the brand or the cause); and iii) weak (without previous experiences of either the brand or the social cause). To develop our experiment, 360 Internet surfers agree to participate. Their attitudes were measured before and after the showing of a viral spot in which a pet food brand encourages pet adoption. Our results show that a viral campaign works perfectly for the strong-affinity segment and adequately for the week affinity segment. On the contrary, this viral campaign leaves the intermediate-affinity segment indifferent.