Is Viral Marketing Overrated?

A Harvard study that looked into the path of the spread of social contagion through social networks, found that a friend’s power to influence another’s taste, is about nil.

When it comes to taste, “peer influence is virtually nonexistent,” said Kevin Lewis, a Harvard sociology graduate student who co-authored the study.

What implication does this finding have for the business value of social media, for viral marketing? It is difficult to gauge what preferences have been influenced. 

“What we look to measure in social media marketing are things like social sharing” [a social media analyst] said. “You track what’s being passed around social networks and measure surface indicators such as likes and retweets.”

 (Via WIRED)