The Influence of Sender Trust and Advertiser Trust on Multistage Effects of Viral Advertising

A viral advertising message has two different sources: the advertiser as the message creator and a sender as the message distributor. This study examined the influence of sender trust and advertiser trust on four stages of viral advertising effects. Results from a field experiment demonstrated that sender trust and advertiser trust have differential influences on effect stages. Significant interaction effects show that if a viral ad is sent by a trusted sender, the influence of advertiser trust becomes non-significant or reduced, suggesting that a viral ad from a trusted sender can overcome the handicap a less trusted advertiser might have. Acknowledgments Jisu Huh (PhD, University of Georgia) is an associate professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota. Soyoen Cho (PhD, University of Minnesota). Ronald J. Faber (PhD, University of Wisconsin) is a professor emeritus, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota.