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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The launch leaned heavily on Sweeney's personal brand and viral marketing fueled by the actress' Instagram persona. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2026 The film's viral marketing, the question of whether the footage was real, and the Cinderella story of a micro-budget film becoming a massive box office success are as important to its legacy as anything else. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026 Many explanations of viral marketing draw on theories of interpersonal influence, especially the idea that opinion leaders help spread media messages through social networks. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 May 2026 Ganz described building a viral marketing team engineered around the two-to-three week lifespan of a music trend cycle, with direct influencer relationships and in-house infrastructure designed to activate within 48 hours. — Kennedy French, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for viral marketing

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for viral marketing

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Browse Nearby Words

Virales
viral marketing
virama
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Cite this Entry

“Viral marketing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viral%20marketing. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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