Why do Generation Y’s Share Viral Advertisements? Implications for the Sustainability of a Business

In the past few years, social networks have become one of the most popular communication platforms for both individuals and businesses. Generation Y consumers tend to spend a significant amount of their time on social networks. Hence, they are known as digital natives. Through social networks, generation Y consumers are empowered to share business or brands’ advertisements with their friends. Therefore, helping businesses to attract more customers and grow. As such, the purpose of this study is to determine the motivation behind the sharing of online adverts among friends on social networks by generation Y consumers. Focus group interviews were used to collect data from 83 participants. All interviews were documented and transcribed while analysis was based on themes. The findings reveal that individuals prefer sharing advertisements they consider informative and entertaining. The results also indicate that individuals are influenced by egocentric motives such as gaining status by being the first person to share the ad. The mood of the individual when receiving the ad also plays a role in sharing of viral adverts. Lastly, individuals enjoy sharing advertisement from reputable advertisers. The recommendations, managerial implications and limitations of the study have been outlined.