The Application of Social Networking as a Marketing Platform to Young Adults - Adoption, Usage, and Global Impact of Broadband Technologies - page 191

mation in the attempt to enhance their self image
among other consumers. The empirical evidence
shows that 13% of respondents participate in social
networks because they like the attention, whilst
9% indicated the need to influence the way they
are seen by others. Considering the above data,
the concept of self enhancement appears to have
partial significance as a motive to communicating
in online social networks.
The motivational concepts of social-interaction
and self-enhancement are further substantiated
by Alex Van Tonder of Instant Grass. Van Tonder
argues that in order to establish WOM information
transfer amongst users of social networks, it is
imperative for companies to involve the consumer.
Van Tonder further claims that the most effec-
tive media for stimulating WOM is that which
resonates with, or is focused on, the consumer
herself. The reason for this is that consumers are
increasingly interested in enhancing their sense of
self, a desire which they partially achieve through
enhanced social-interaction.
In addition to the concepts of social-interaction
and self-enhancement, it was found that 60%
of respondents interact and communicate on a
social network for the purpose of entertainment.
Entertainment as a motivational factor is, likewise,

supported by Engel et al (1993), who argue that
a motivational cue exists when consumers find
entertainment in discussing certain promotions/
advertisements. This is further emphasised by
Phelps et al (2004), who note that consumers are
more likely to pass on information that is enter-
taining, or involves some aspect of enjoyment.
According to Calvert of Instant Grass, a WOM
campaign stands or falls on the basis of how
amusing or entertaining it is.
Interestingly, analysis shows little evidence of
altruism and dissonance reduction as motivational
factors. Only 5% of respondents indicated that they
communicate on a social network to help others,
while less than 2% admitted to using social net-
works to find out more about a specific product.
This may be due to a mindset of consumers firstly
engaging with a brand through the appropriate
manufacturer's or service provider's web site,
possibly due to time pressure and the likelihood
of receiving official information.

GOING VIRAL

The term 'Viral Marketing' was first used in
1996 by a venture capital firm, Draper Fischer
Jurvetson, while describing the marketing strategy
incorporated by the free e-mail service Hotmail,
which involved the tactic of appending promo-
tional messages to outgoing e-mails in order to
encourage new subscriptions (Porter & Golan,
2006). Since then, the term viral marketing has
become vitally important and an integral part in
the ever evolving sphere of twenty first century
marketing.
With viral marketing being such a fresh and
overused term, disagreement exists about its pre-
cise definition. Some (e.g. Pastore, 2000) view
it as WOM advertising in which consumers tell
other consumers about the product or service,
whilst others (e.g. Modzelewski, 2000) argue
that “true” viral marketing differs from WOM
in that the value of the 'virus' to the promoter is

Table 2. Reasons why social networkers choose
to interact with each other

a) To meet new people 22%

b) To be part of a group/community 30%

c) Because my friends do 50%

d) To keep in contact with friends 98%

e) To find long lost friends

78%

f) To share information about myself 18%

g) I like the attention 13%

h) To influence the way other people see me 9%

i) To find out more about a specific product 2%

j) For entertainment 60%

k) To help others 5%

l) To establish my personal identity 7%