Ultimately, businesses need to remember that the act of sharing a piece of content online is about those potential customers projecting an image of who they’d like to be. “The most shareable content you’ll find online comes from sports teams,” says Mr Rezab, by way of illustration. “Major league baseball, soccer, WWF. There’s huge virality there, and it’s all down to self-expression.
The desperation of businesses to achieve viral resonance can lead them across some dangerous minefields, as illustrated by the Condescending Corporate Brands page on Facebook.