3.1 Phase 1
The first phase of the framework has an important impact on the design and development of the on-line viral
marketing campaign. According to Gabrielsson et al. (2008) “a viral campaign should begin with an analysis of
the company and its business context” that includes both internal factors, such as products, internal strategy and
resources of the company and external factors, such as competitors, market prospective, consumer needs and
brand positioning. The analysis of product(s) currently offered by company includes a description of (i) main
products features and benefits (ii) pricing used at all distribution levels (from distributors to final users) (iii) how
products are made accessible to final users (iv) promotional programs and advertising strategies (v) support
offered to final users. On considering the internal strategies of the company these indicate the direction of the
company over the long-term. These represent potential advantages for the company to meet the needs of markets
and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Internal strategies exist at several levels in any company; there are: (i)