A Cross-cultural Comparison of Viral Video Consumption and Social Capital in the U.S. and China

By Yue Weng Dec. 3, 2010

Agenda

- Intellectual Questions- Literature Review- Research Questions- Methodology- Results and Discussion- Conclusion- Limitation and Future Research

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2

Intellectual Questions

Viral Video

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Literature Review• Viral Video Advertising

• Social Capital

• Cultural Differences in attitudes toward Advertising and media usage

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Research QuestionsRQ1. Comparing American and Chinese cultures, what are the commonalities and differences in consumption behaviors toward viral video advertisements?

RQ2. Comparing American and Chinese cultures, what are the commonalities and differences in attitudes toward viral video advertisements and the brand behind?

RQ3. Comparing American and Chinese cultures, what are the commonalities and differences in social relationship establishment tendency via sharing viral videos online?

Methodology

• Sampling– Convenient sampling– 49 in UT-Austin in the U.S. and 50 in Fudan University in

China– Male vs. female was 30% vs. 70% in the U.S. and 48% vs.

52% in China. The average age of the respondents was 25 • Research Design

– Qualtrics online survey in English and Chinese– Demo video showing the concept of Viral Video– Replacement of local SNS equivalents in China

• Measurement– Demographic questions– Behavioral, attitudinal and social capital questions– Social Networking Sites usage questions

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Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1

13

24

11

04

21

15

9

1

U.S.China

Viewing behavior

• 8% of the Chinese had never seen viral videos before, while 2% in the U.S.• American views a little more than Chinese

Searching behavior

• Both countries seldom found viral videos actively online• American still sought more often than Chinese• Video sharing sites were popular in the U.S. as a source for finding viral videos while

that was not the case in China

Results and Discussion

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Viral Video Consumption Pattern

Close Fri

ends

Casual

Acquain

tances

Close Rela

tives

Distan

t Rela

tives

Peers

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

3

2.352.02

1.5

3.12.83

2.46

1.59 1.52

3.11

U.S.China

Receiving

Close Fri

ends

Casual

Acquain

tances

Close Rela

tives

Distan

t Rela

tives

Peers

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

2.96

2.19 2.13

1.52

2.62.742.35

1.67 1.48

2.76

U.S.China

Forwarding

Sharing Behavior

• Highly similar pattern of receiving and forwarding• No significant difference between the U.S. and China• The viral video sharing activities happen more among closer relationships and

peers• The most often used platform for sharing was SNS in both countries, but Email

was the second biggest in the U.S. while Personal Blog was the second in China

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Appeals of viral videos• Top three appeals for both countries were Humor, Enjoyment and Aesthetics• Significant difference appears in Sex and Individualism

Enjoyment Adventure Humor Aesthetics Celebrity Sex Individualism Other05

101520253035404550

37

12

43

22

12 13 14

2

38

11

40

2520

94

0

U.S.China

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Attitudes toward Viral Videos and Brand Sponsors

Attitudes toward viral videos• Both countries viewed viral videos more entertaining than informative and actually

not intrusive• Americans tended to think viral videos more entertaining and less intrusive• The most common reason for Americans of sharing viral videos was “to entertain

people”

Informative Intrusive Entertaining0

0.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.5

3.26

2.38

4.133.57

2.87

3.67

U.S.China

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Attitudes toward the brand behind

• Chinese respondents thought they were more capable to recognize the brand embedded in viral video advertising

• Both countries would still forward viral videos with brand elements. However, Chinese were less willing to forward them than American respondents

Easy to identify the brand Not forwarding if find the brand If like the VV, then like the brand

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

3.55

2.3

3.13

3.98

2.74

3.28

U.S.China

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Social Relationship Establishment

• More of a way to communicate with people that they often contacted than less contacted in the U.S. while neutral in China

• More feeling of caring from people that they often contacted than less contacted in the U.S. while neutral in China

• Informational support overweighed emotional support in both countries

01234 2.98 2.77

3.663.643.15

2.64

Less Contacted PplMore Contacted Ppl

Way

of Communica

tion

Feeli

ng of C

aring

Benefi

ts01234 3.13 3.02

3.613.35 3.02 2.93

Less Contacted PplMore Contacted Ppl

American Pattern Chinese Pattern

Conclusion• Viral videos are prevalent around the globe

- Similarities in Consumption Pattern- Differences of Attitudes toward Viral Video and the brand

behind- Differences of Social Relationship Establishment

• Perceived by consumers as non-intrusive, and appreciated for its entertainment value as well as for its information sharing

• For those multi-national companies, branded viral videos can be leveraged as a good channel but they should take the cultural differences into consideration

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Limitation & Future Research

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• Replacement with local sites

• Other factors may play a role in motivations of viewing, such as product origin

• Further qualitative research can be helpful

Thank You

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