Product advertising and viral stealth marketing in online videos. A description and comparison of comments on YouTube
| Date | 16 May 2016 |
| Pages | 250-264 |
| Published date | 16 May 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-11-2015-0174 |
| Author | Lars Michael Wendt,Joachim Griesbaum,Ralph Kölle |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval |
Product advertising and
viral stealth marketing in
online videos
A description and comparison
of comments on YouTube
Lars Michael Wendt, Joachim Griesbaum and Ralph Kölle
University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
Abstract
Purpose –In the context of social media marketing, so called viral stealth videos (VSVs) often attract
as much or even more attention than videos that directly advertise products (product advertising video
(PAV)). However, beyond this, the product or brand-related impact of such videos is not so clear. In this
context, the purpose of this paper is to investigate brand perception of PAVs and VSVs in YouTube.
Design/methodology/approach –The research design is based on an examination of comments of
six VSVs and six PAVs on YouTube. Therefore, the content of 1,080 posts was analyzed to capture the
topic, the attitude toward the video and the pragmatic intent of posts.
Findings –Results indicate that there are strong differences with regard to users´perception of the
two analyzed video type segments. The content of VSVs is clearly recognized as positive more often
than the content of PAVs. In contrast, only PAVs evoke substantial brand awareness but receive
rather mixed results with regards to brand assessment.
Research limitations/implications –As a whole, the study is widely descriptive and of explorative
value. Nevertheless, the research design can be estimated as a first step to measure the brand-related
impact of online videos. Ideally, the data generated in the investigation should be combined with traffic
and conversion data of the brands’websites to get an encompassing picture of the marketing related
impact of the investigated online videos.
Practical implications –Seen from a marketers’perspective, one can recommend PAVs over VSVs
as there are hardly any brand-related impacts of VSVs visible in online communication. PAVs are
perceived less positively but they are able to evoke brand awareness at least.
Originality/value –According to the authors’knowledge this investigation is one of only a few
studies that analyzes real online communication in the context of video-based online marketing.
Keywords YouTube, Brand recognition, Online videos, Product advertising,
Video based online marketing, Viral stealth marketing
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In March 2014, Wren, a woman’s clothing and accessories brand, published an online
video “First Kiss”which achieved 23 million views within three days (Visible Measures,
2014). In the video, strangers meet for the first time and are asked to kiss each other.
The video can be categorized as a viral stealth video (VSV), as brand promotion within
the video is very subtle. The name of the company is mentioned only in the video
credits and description. After the video was published, the publisher’s site traffic and
sales multiplied (Marshall, 2014). Also in March 2014, a product advertising video
(PAV) “Samsung Galaxy S 5 –Official Introduction”, directly promoting the
smartphone S5, reached an audience of 23.8 million viewers within the first month
(Visible Measures, 2014). Although very different with regard to product and brand
promotion, both videos were very successful in reaching a large audience. This is the
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 68 No. 3, 2016
pp. 250-264
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-11-2015-0174
Received 11 November 2015
Revised 7 February 2016
Accepted 29 February 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2050-3806.htm
250
AJIM
68,3
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