Viral audience goes upmarket

The research, from viral site BoreMe.com was conducted over a six month period from September 2006 - February 2007, analysing the viral behaviour of educational institutes and industry sectors in the UK.

Viral behaviour of educational institutes

The research looked into the top 10 educational institutes visiting BoreMe.com. Students from Eton are the No.1 viral site users based on educational institutes. Eton boys made 21,432 visits to BoreMe.com in the six month period looking at an average of 31 pages per visit.

At an estimated average of 45 seconds per page, this makes up a total of 8,305 hours, or 346 days spent looking at BoreMe.com content in the six month period. On the busiest day there were 252 separate visits to the site from Eton.

Viewers by educational institute

1 Eton College

2 University of Cambridge

3 Oxford University

4 University of Wales

5 University of Manchester

6 Imperial College London

7 Edinburgh University

8 University of Southampton

9 University of Sheffield

10 University of Leeds

The results show that Oxbridge students are more in touch with the viral zeitgeist. Students from Oxford and Cambridge spent more time looking at virals online than any other university students. Old and Red Brick universities feature heavily in the top 10 but not one so called New University is present.

Commenting on the findings, Rik Lander, Head of Research at BoreMe.com said: “Students visiting BoreMe.com are the best-educated and richest students in the country. It's little wonder that brands are moving their advertising spend onto viral entertainment sites like BoreMe.com. It allows them to hit a very upmarket demographic.”

Commenting on how virals influence learning and shapes future leaders, Lander adds: “Students are visiting BoreMe not just for entertainment; it is down to what French philosopher Bourdieu calls `cultural capital.' These students are sensitive to the changes that are occurring in the media landscape. Virals are a new form of culture and these students, who are our future political and business leaders, understand that.”

As part of their extensive rebranding programme in 2006, The Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, himself an Old Etonian and graduate of Oxford, created a video viral on issues of personal debt, claiming it as a way of reaching younger voters.

Viral behaviour of industry sectors

The research looked into the top 10 industry sectors visiting BoreMe.com. Workers in the Financial Services are the No.1 viral site users based on industry sector. The Financial Services made 45,298 visits to BoreMe.com in the six month period looking at an average of 10 pages per visit.

At an estimated average of 45 seconds per page, that makes up a total of 5,662 hours, or 708 working days (at 8 hours per day) spent looking at BoreMe.com content in the six month period. On the busiest day there were 1,436 separate visits to the site from the Financial Services.

Viewers by Industry Sector

1 Financial Services

2 Manufacturing

3 Oil

4 Legal

5 Transport

6 Consulting

7 Pharmaceuticals

8 Mining

9 Hotels

10 Military

Rik Lander, Head of Research at BoreMe.com commented on the findings:  “This kind of entertainment snacking is a response to the expectation of bosses that employees stay glued to their workstation. Workers are finding a way of taking a break without leaving their desks. Sending virals to their colleagues allows them to share these moments with others, kind of virtual water cooler moments.”