viral marketing

noun

: marketing designed to disseminate information (as about a new product) very rapidly by making it likely to be passed from person to person especially via electronic means

Examples of viral marketing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This includes free publicity generated by the organization through word-of-mouth, viral marketing, public relations or organic social sharing. Cathy-Anne O'Brien, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 Colorful health sodas with viral marketing strategies are popping up in a grocery store near you. USA TODAY, 23 July 2023 Subscribers quickly turned to Twitter to voice confusion, and there were plenty of jokes about what some imagined must be the title of HBO's next hit series, while director James Gunn hoped this all could be some strange viral marketing for his own upcoming show. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 18 June 2021 The Airbnb post arrives as a viral marketing campaign for the Barbie movie continues to ramp up ahead of the film’s debut on July 21. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 June 2023 There is no formula that cracks the code of viral marketing, and the reason why marketing goes viral is usually unknown. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023 The Late Show 5 'Scream VI' marketing reportedly behind Ghostface sightings across the country Someone has taken their love of viral marketing one step too far. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 3 Mar. 2023 Paramount Pictures was previously responsible for last September's viral marketing campaign for the horror film Smile, which saw actors sit behind home plate at various Major League Baseball games with creepy grins on their faces. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2023 This viral marketing for 80 for Brady is next level. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 1 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'viral marketing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of viral marketing was in 1989

Dictionary Entries Near viral marketing

Cite this Entry

“Viral marketing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viral%20marketing. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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