[Merge with incoming section for Online Marketing]
"Viral" marketing relies on the public to spread your message by sharing it among friends and through existing social networks. The term derives from the way the message is spread, when a person sends a message to a group of friends, and those friends to their groups of friends, the message spreads exponentially and quickly reaches a large audience.
Humorous, outrageous and simply strange messages are likely to be passed along between friends. While viral marketing usually refers to forwarding messages or links via email, it can refer to the spread of fax, photocopy, video or other media among social networks as well. Making media easy to share and encouraging sharing can help make campaigns viral.