The purpose of this study is to explore how commercial and non-commercial viral adverts have an impact on purchase intentions within the automotive industry. In order to reach this aim the following objectives are investigated: the nature of commercial and non-commercial viral adverts, the relationship between these adverts and resulting purchase intentions and the effectiveness of these viral marketing approaches. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is used to establish a conceptual relationship between viral adverts and purchase intentions. Qualitative research methods are used to gather empirical evidence on this topic.