The latest buzz among marketers is word-of-mouth marketing. We've all heard the stories about how Pet Rocks and iPods were adopted at rates far exceeding traditional advertising predictions. The difference, most experts agree, is word-of-mouth. Like the old Pert shampoo commercial, "And they told two friends, and so on," a hot idea gets passed along. In the new digital age, "WOM" (that's the term insiders use), spreads faster and more effectively than ever before. And since email is a top WOM channel, the phenomenon naturally has caught my interest.
Well, in the world of WOM, there is WOMMA, an emerging industry group focused on just this topic. Led by my friend Andy Sernovitz, the group is working toward putting a measurable framework around this otherwise ephemeral marketing technique. On July 11, WOMMA announced the results of its efforts to apply terms and metrics to WOM, and made them publicly available. If you are interested in WOM, you can check out WOMMA at http://www.womma.org. You can find its Terminology Framework at http://www.womma.org/terminology.htm.
I'd love to hear stories and feedback on how WOM has worked for all of you. If you have something to share, please feel free to post a comment below and I'll put it up on the blog.
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Comments
i remember back in uni (which was just last year LOL) we studied all about the effects of good WOM and bad WOM. at the end of the day WOM is probably the most powerful marketing tool because of the relationship and trust we have with the people spreading this WOM. thus if its something good about a company then that's great! but likewise if its unflattery then the ramifications can be significant.
my company is in the ICT industry and our core competencies are our e-biz infra, solutions and services. tho we aren't a retail company, WOM still plays a big role in getting us business. it helps that our president is of royal blood and is thus held with high regard. so basically, people want to talk to him and when he speaks, they listen.
i'm doing some research on corporate blogs as my company is planning to start one for our branding exercise. i've found your blog to be one of the few that is close to the heart.
keep up to the blogging. i know it may seem a little demotivating when you hardly get any feedback but from my experience it really depends on your content and also the time you spend giving feedback on other corporate blogs. it's a community issue and that's the best way to thrive.
have a good day Bill, will be back for sure!
cheers,
William
Posted by: William | July 21, 2005 02:26 AM
Not to be picky, but the and so on and so on was for a product called Tickle Antiperspirant Deodorant. Back in the 70's it was voted the most annoying commercial. LOL :-)
Posted by: Peter Nelson | July 25, 2005 12:04 PM
Pete, thanks for the comments about the actual product name. My blog actually created a number of email threads about which product it really was. Entries included Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo and Breck. For the moment, this intense debate may remain unsettled.
Posted by: Bill Nussey | July 29, 2005 11:37 PM
"and so on" was for Fabrege Wheat Germ and Honey Shampoo.
Posted by: Claudia Robbins | October 24, 2006 05:27 PM