Akpinar and Berger (2017), Valuable virality

Question 1

Definition of Valuable Virality:

Answer 1

Ads that are widely shared (viral) but also provide benefits to the brand (e.g., improved
brand evaluation and purchase likelihood)

Question 2

Key Challenges:

Answer 2

• Emotional appeals increase shares but may not improve brand outcomes
• Informative appeals improve brand evaluation but are less shareable
• The goal is to combine the benefits of both appeal types to create “valuable vitality”

Question 3

Drivers of Valuable Virality

Answer 3

• Emotional Appeals
• Informative Appeals
• Emotional Brand-Integral Ads

Question 4

Emotional Appeals (Emotional Nonintegral):

Answer 4

• Designed to elicit feelings using music, mood, and drama
• Advantages:
• Higher likelihood of being shared due to emotional arousal and novelty
• People share emotional content to enhance their self-presentation (e.g., looking fun or
  interesting)
  => Emotional narrative with minimal brand relevance

Question 5

Informative Appeals:

Answer 5

• Focus on product features or benefits, targeting consumer cognition
• Advantages:
• Viewed as fairer and less manipulative
• Improve brand evaluation and purchase intent by providing explicit product knowledge
  => Focus on product features

Question 6

Emotional Brand-Integral Ads (Emotional Integral)

Answer 6

• Combine emotional appeals with brand integration in the narrative
• Benefits:
• Increase shares without reducing brand evaluation
• Example: Blendtec’s “Will it blend?” campaign
  => Brand is central to the emotional narrative

Question 7

Findings

Answer 7

• Emotional ads are more shareable than informative ads
• Emotional brand-integral ads don’t reduce shares
• Only 20% of emotional ads integrate the brand into the narrative

Question 8

Study 1: Controlled Experiment:
Key results

Answer 8

Key Results:
* Emotional ads (integral and nonintegral) increased sharing
* Informative and emotional integral ads boosted brand evaluation and purchase intent
* Emotional integral ads achieved both outcomes simultaneously

Question 9

Study 2: Real Sharing:
Key Results:

Answer 9

• Emotional integral ads combined the benefits of both emotional and informative ads
• Sharing and brand evaluation improved when the brand was integral to the narrative

Question 10

Study 3: Underlying Mechanisms:
Key results:

Answer 10

• Emotional integral and informative ads generated favourable inferences and boosted brand
  knowledge, leading to improved brand evaluation and purchase intent

Question 11

Key Takeaways
Combining Emotional and Informative Appeals:

Answer 11

• Emotional integral ads provide the best of both worlds
• They boost shares without compromising brand evaluation or purchase intent

Question 12

Key Takeaways
Practical Applications:

Answer 12

• Marketers should embed the brand into emotional narratives to create valuable virality
• Avoid overemphasis on emotional appeals that exclude the brand (e.g., viral but non-converting
  campaigns)

Question 13

Key Takeaways:
The Role of Brand Presence:

Answer 13

• High brand presence (e.g., frequent logo displays) can reduce shares
• Brand integralness, however, doesn’t harm sharing and improves brand outcomes

Question 14

Implications for Marketers

Answer 14

Designing Effective Viral Campaigns:
- Integrate brand meaningfully into the narrative to maximize both shares and brand outcomes
- Emotional integral ads are particularly effective for products where emotional appeal resonates
with functional benefits

Ad Types and Trade-Offs:
- Use emotional integral ads for campaign seeking virality and value
- Employ informative ads for campaigns focused on brand evaluation over sharing