Empowering Emotion: The Driving Force of Share and Purchase Intentions in Viral Advertising

Abstract

This research adopts the PAD model of emotions (i.e., pleasure–arousal–dominance) and conducts two survey studies to empirically test the role of emotions in viral advertising. Study 1 confirms the positive role of pleasure, arousal, and dominance in making a video commercial spread virally. Results demonstrate that dominance is the strongest predictor among the three dimensions to explain increased share and purchase intentions. More importantly, Study 2 shows that psychological empowerment is the underlying mechanism that explains the effects of dominance on both share and purchase intentions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.