Creating Social Contagion Through Viral Product Design: A Randomized Trial of Peer Influence in Networks

We examine how firms can create word-of-mouth peer influence and social contagion by designing viral features into their products and marketing campaigns. Word-of-mouth (WOM) is generally considered to be more effective at promoting product contagion when it is personalized and active. Unfortunately, the relative effectiveness of different viral features has not been quantified, nor has their effectiveness been definitively established, largely...