Determinants of Young Sri Lankan Individuals’ Intention to Engage in Viral Marketing

Despite the prolific growth of viral marketing, factors that determine successful viral marketing campaigns remain largely unknown. Since the extant literature postulates that individual who pass along messages play a vital role in viral marketing, this paper examines the factors that determine the individuals’ message pass along intention in light of the behavioural theory proposed by Ajzen, namely, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and the interpersonal relations theory proposed by Schutz, namely, Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO). The data collected from 391 young undergraduates in Sri Lanka were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling method. The results revealed that perceived behavioural control, attitude towards viral marketing, subjective norms, and need for affection and need for control are influential in determining the intention among young individuals to engage in viral marketing. Thus, the findings reveal that firms may need to develop different strategies to manipulate those critical factors that affect one’s intention to engage in viral marketing so as to enhance the effectiveness of viral marketing campaigns.