Meme marketing: How marketers can drive better engagement using viral memes?

Scholars and industry stakeholders have exhibited an interest in identifying the underlying dimensions of viral memes. However, the recipe for creating a viral meme remains obscure. This study makes a phenomenological contribution by examining viral memes, exploring the antecedents (i.e., content-related factors, customer-related factors, and media-related factors), consequences, and moderating factors using a mixed-method approach. The study presents a holistic framework for creating viral memes based on the perceptions of customers and industry stakeholders. Four quantitative studies (i.e., a lab experiment, an online quasi-experiment, an event study, and a brand recall study) validate th…