From Local Buzz to Global Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis on the Evolution of Viral Marketing Strategies

The growth of articles is reflected in the increasing interdisciplinary research and publications on viral marketing. Scholars from fields as diverse as computer science, business, management and accounting, mathematics, and engineering have contributed to more than 150 publications. This article aims to understand the growth of viral marketing by using bibliometric analysis. With the limitation set only for the final stage and English used, 784 articles were published in the Scopus database from 1999 to 2025. The analysis of document and source types, subject area, keyword analysis, and other bibliometric indicators was explained. In addition, the Publish or Perish software was used to analyze citation metrics and highly cited articles. The proliferation of social media and digital platforms has reshaped the landscape of modern marketing, placing viral marketing at the core of many strategic efforts. The future studies on viral marketing broaden their scope beyond the current sources by including comprehensive analyses of additional article databases like Web of Science (WoS) and Google Scholar, and studies can capture a wide array of research trends and insights, potentially revealing subtle patterns and interdisciplinary connections that could be overlooked. Furthermore, the researcher can explore how viral marketing exploits the rapid and organic dissemination of engaging content across digital networks to enhance brand visibility and amplify message reach through exponential growth.