Constructions of popular culture within viral advertising: Reception analysis of Eti Benim'O virals

Developing and converging communication technologies have revealed the new media phenomenon, where one-way communication has started to become two-way with new systems. Active users, on the other hand, have constantly changed their media usage attitudes within the scope of new technologies. Users no longer consume the texts imposed in the media, but what they choose from among them. In this new order, customers are reached through new viral marketing strategies. In addition to promoting commodity consumption in these texts, it also markets the status determined by the ruling class. The consumer, who is dominated by the media, is constantly guided by popularized cultures. Constantly supportive of each other, it has become a necessity to critically analyze how these capital-serving systems work. In this study, besides the structural effect of popular culture in the advertising production process, its reflections on audience were questioned. According to the results of the research, which was carried out with a mixed method of content and reception analysis, virals have the characteristics of similarity, reality, routine, and naturalness of popular culture. Ad copies, on the other hand, contain popular words and discourse styles of the time. While popular commodities play an active role in advertising at the point of determining identity and status, consumers do not seriously criticize them. While culturally appropriate viral advertising works on the consumer positively, consumers are pleased to consume pop culture consciously or unconsciously.