An online advertising approach that functions like word-of-mouth. The "viral" refers to how quickly the message propagates to others, but its purpose is not to cause damage like a computer virus but to make an offer available to the masses. The ad is disseminated via links in e-mail, blogs and Web sites that all point to some service or product people might want, whether free or paid.

The term was attributed to venture capital firm, Draper Fisher Jurvetson (www.venture-capital.com) after its investment in Hotmail grew dramatically. Hotmail automatically put an advertisement at the end of everybody's e-mail message suggesting that they too sign up for the free service. In a year and a half, more than 12 million people became Hotmail users.

Send This to a Friend

Links on articles that say "send this to a friend" are another form of viral marketing. When the recipients receive the article, they are encouraged to sign up for the service. See viral video and sneezing. See also viral programming.

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