Abstract
Past research on viral advertising videos has studied what factors contribute to total shares and views, but little has focused on how videos are shared over time. A previous content analysis of YouTube viral advertising videos found that more fully developed stories on a 0 to 5 act drama scale increased total shares and views. From that previous study’s data, a growth curve model of 105 videos regressed daily video shares and views over a 23-day period. Results found a significantly sharper linear decline (dropout rate) for videos that tell a less developed story (lower number of acts) compared to videos that tell a more developed story (higher number of acts). Videos are shared for a longer time, or stay viral longer, with a story. The same growth curve model was performed for video views, but no significant growth curve effect was found. The theoretical and managerial implications of these results are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Quesenberry, Keith A. and Coolsen, Michael K.
(2025)
"Time is on Story’s Side: Story Development Impacts Daily Shares of Viral Advertising Videos,"
Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics: Vol. 30, Article 3.
Available at:
https://roar.una.edu/jobie/vol30/iss1/3