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Allstate has a (relatively) new online social hub aimed at motorcycle riders. The website, AllstateGarage.com, is aimed at giving riders a way to view and map their routes -- as well as to connect with other users/bikers, share stories, and post about their rides. Of course, the ultimate goal of the site is to get the bikers to insure their road trips with Allstate, but if AllstateGarage.com can foster a community and provide bikers with value in the meantime, they'll certainly get their attention.
YouTube now comes packaged with a targeting algorithm tracker that allows paid inlay advertisers to ride the coat tails of a "going viral" sensation. It's one way that Google has found to leverage the surges in viewership experienced by the online video site when certain videos start making their way around the internet. Whether or not this piggy back targeting will spell similar results for the inlay advertisers remains to be seen.
If you're looking to make a move and want to stay in the word of mouth marketing industry -- and of course you DO! -- the WOMMA Job Board is a great place to start.
To see what's new on the WOMMA Job Board, visit:
http://www.womma.org/jobs/
WOMMA members -- don't forget to take advantage of your free Job Board listings. This is the best way to reach the most-connected marketers in your industry. Check the Job Board page for details.
In this video interview, Etsy CEO Rob Kalin describes how Etsy let it's community of users do the heavy marketing lifting for them, talking about the site and the products they sell and spreading the word to their own customers and social circles. Using traditional advertising routes didn't get results for Etsy, and Rob didn't like the way it changed the face of the company. The "real human face" route was the way Etsy chose to move forward, and it's worked for the company thus far.
The Editorial Board for the fourth volume in WOMMA's growing research and WOM measurement series, along with a review panel for a special section on finding the value of a conversation, will be holding a kick-off call later this month.
Members of the MWOMv4 Editorial Board will:
- Read and vet topic submissions
- Identify key areas of interest in the WOM research field
- Give constructive feedback to paper authors
- Rate and review papers for the MWOMv4 WOM Research Awards
Members of the Valuing a Conversation review panel will:
- Read and vet special topic submissions
- Verify that the special topic is being represented from a variety of viewpoints
- Greenlight papers for inclusion in MWOMv4
WOMMA members: This is a great way to get involved! If you're interested in being a part of this WOM research effort, send an email to membership@womma.org and we will send along the dial-in information for the MWOMv4 Editorial Board kick-off call.
As part of an organization's basic arsenal of WOMM tactics, WOMMA has often promoted the use of Tell-A-Friend links on websites, blogs, newsletters, etc. It's an easy way to remind people to pass the information they like along to friends who might also find it valuable. On Monday, the FTC approved a new rule under the CAN-SPAM Act that affects what the FTC terms "forward-to-a-'friend'" messages. It is WOMMA's preliminary understanding that the rule only creates higher compliance burdens for people who incentivize their TAF features and pay people for the messages they forward. Simply forwarding a message using a TAF form constitutes "routine conveyance" and isn't being either questioned or ruled upon.
WOMMA members: If you have any questions or special interest, send an email to editor@womma.org and we'll reply to you personally with any additional updates.
According to this Advertising Age article, a slew of new announcements from Google, Facebook, and MySpace indicate that closed garden social networks are getting ready to break down their walls -- as a way to survive. Whether this marks the next step in the evolution of the social web or just the next logical conclusion in a user-centric environment, it's certainly worth keeping an eye on. As consumers stretch themselves out, breaking through the confines of the current social network structure, what's on the horizon for marketers?
On his blog, Rohit Bhargava outlines "The 3 Philosophies of Word of Mouth Marketing," which are the three major categories WOMM falls into when being defined within an organization. According to Rohit, WOMM is being categorized most frequently as a channel -- because that makes it easier to explain WOM to people used to dealing in traditional marketing terms. WOMM as an outcome, alternatively, puts WOM at the core of all of a company's marketing programs, and implies an understanding that other forms of advertising will impact the shape and feel of the WOM spread. Of course, there's also the perception that WOMM is all about making things "go viral," which is just one slice of the whole WOM pie.
C-Suite executives have long been reluctant to let go of the paper world and plunge into the digital, but a new study from Ipsos MediaCT shows that the slow-but-steady adoption of digital media is taking hold at the C level, and executives are coming around. According to the Ipsos study, executives are still using a great deal of traditional media, but more and more are using video streaming, blogs, podcasts, etc. The most noted media being left behind for more time online? Television.
In a recent ClickZ article, WOMMA Board member Pete Blackshaw takes a Machiavellian look at Twitter, analyzing a slew of its features as well as some of the Twitterati archetypes -- from the TimeTweeters who like to respond first and get that "fresh" timestamp on their posts, to the Tweetniks, who try to turn every post into a work of literature -- that have emerged
This AdWeek article looks at some of the brands that are leveraging their communities of loyal customers in order to grow their brands. The article zeros in on Zappos, Craigslist, Threadless, Etsy, and Yelp, but there are tons of others who are also drinking the "let's make connections" kool-aid, and what these companies understand is that taking the time to create relationships with their consumers in an investment in their future. It's what sets them apart from the competition -- but it's something that any brand with the right mix of enthusiasm and ingenuity can pull off.
There were a lot of folks reporting yesterday morning that the first news they heard of the earthquake in China, which was a 7.8 on the Richter scale, was via Twitter. In seeming testament to the platforms' instantaneous power, Twitter was there first -- even before news crews could be dispatched. And while the platform might not always provide the best serving of information -- some platforms package it better, have better seasoning, more ambiance -- Mathew Ingram has dubbed Twitter "the first draft of history" on his blog, and it's a descriptor that seems particularly fitting.
Of the 36.2 million women who are active in the blogosphere each week, 15.1 million of them publish posts of their own, and 21.1 million read and comment, according to new research from BlogHer. As evidence of their passion for blogging, 55% of the women surveyed reported that they would give up alcohol in order to keep their blogs, 50% said they would give up their PDA, 42% said they'd give up their iPod, 43% would give up reading newspapers or magazines -- but only 20% said they'd part ways with chocolate.
When writing a story about Twitter for Business Week, Stephen Baker decided to get the -- impassioned, chatty, enthusiastic -- Twitter users to weigh in on the article. In keeping with the form, he posted 140-word questions and answers, generating lots of response. On her blog, B.L. Ochman offers an interesting perspective on why this is such an important step in Web 2.0-meets-journalism: While lots of publications allow readers to comment and follow-up, seldom are they included on the front end of the editorial process.
On his blog, Jeremy Owyang delves in to that magical conversation that takes place between the person on the inside who "gets" social media and the executives in their company -- who often don't. Selling-in, when it comes to the "scary" world of social media, is no easy task. This post offers some quick and easy tips -- as well as some pre-meeting questions to consider and some ways to arm yourself with as much information as possible -- for how to get executives in your company thinking positively about social media.
WOMMA's first ever Word of Mouth Marketing University, which took place May 8-9 in Miami, was a rousing success. The word of mouth marketing industry came together for some great hands-on learning -- both in our classroom-style breakout sessions, as well is in our WOMM in Action interactive sessions, in which word of mouth marketers worked together to create WOMM programs for a handful of charitable organizations.
But we don't want to get carried away patting ourselves on the back. Here are some other perspectives on what went down at WOMMA's WOMM-U:
- Li Evans from the Search Marketing Gurus blog attended WOMM-U and provided some great perspectives on a number of our keynote and case studies speakers, including this blog post featuring Jen Gulvik and her Houlihan's case study:
http://www.searchmarketinggurus.com/search_marketing_gurus/2008/05/womma-womm-u-je.html
- This post from Spike Jones of WOMMA member company Brains on Fire offers up some of the "juicy tidbits" taken from WOMM-U, as well as some observations:
http://brainsonfire.com/blog/2008/05/12/observations-from-womm-u-in-miami/
- On the Tapio blog, Miami local Alex de Carvalho posted about the Miami blogger dinner, which attracted a slew of WOMM-U attendees:
http://www.tapio.com/2008/05/miami-blogger-d.html
- WOMM-U garnered a mention in today's Miami Herald:
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/528961.html
- You can also check out the WOMM-U Flickr group:
http://flickr.com/photos/hyku/2478364764/
- The WOMM-U live blog also has tons of great information. Check it out at:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
Nearly half (48%) of all U.S. internet users report belonging to a hobby-based online community, 41% say they are members of an online social community, and a third belong to an online professional community, according to the 2008 Digital Future Project, which is being compiled by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. These numbers are up dramatically from the data gathered regarding online community use in 2005.
Facebook has been working to come up with a strategy that would protect its younger users, while still allowing adult Facebookers the ability to use and navigate the social site without any impediments. The company has reached an agreement with 49 state attorneys to implement a broad strategy for safety which includes: requiring users under 18 to confirm they have read the site's safety tips and a large "report abuse" icon prominently display on the site. The site is currently working on ways to verify the age of its users -- which is one of the big challenges currently tripping it up.
Companies are getting on board with the idea that their customers want to be heard -- and will find a way to get their opinions out there whether the company likes it or not. According to this article from The Boston Globe, more and more consumer-oriented businesses are accepting honest feedback from their customers -- allowing them to post reviews and comments that aren't always flattering -- directly on their websites. The driving idea behind this approach seems to be "they're going to say it anyway, so why not let them say it here," and is opening a previously closed line of communication between consumers and companies.
Some recently passed UK legislation that impacts word of mouth marketers across the pond has created a great deal of buzz in the industry -- with word of mouth marketers in the U.S. wondering how this affects them.
To address the questions this legislation has inspired, WOMMA is hosting a members-only conference call on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST featuring WOMMA Board president, Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group, WOMMA's legal council Tony DiResta, Partner at Reed Smith and former Director of the FTC's Southeast Regional Office, and WOM UK President Steve Barton.
Join this call to learn:
- What this legislation means for UK WOM marketers -- and what it doesn't
- What WOMMA is doing to create ethical standards in word of mouth marketing
- How WOMMA is working to foster an educational relationship with the FTC
- What WOM marketers need to do to make self-regulation a continued reality for the industry
- What WOMMA is doing going forward to continue promoting ethical standards in WOMM
WOMMA members: To get the dial-in information for this call, send an email request to membership@womma.org.
Today's WOMMA Word is a special Word of Mouth Marketing University edition. Yesterday we kicked off WOMMA's educational, information-packed WOMM-U event. We heard from Joseph Jaffe, author of "Join the Conversation," Jeffrey Graham of The New York Times, Judy Stonefield from OPI Cosmetics, and Carla Hendra of Ogilvy (see the stories below for a taste of what they had to say to WOMM-U attendees).
Even if you didn't have the opportunity join us in Miami for this fantastic word of mouth marketing industry event, you can still sample the content. Here's how:
>> Take a look at the WOMM-U Live Blog: WOMMA's live blogger, Josh Hallett, has been covering the WOMM-U event in real time, posting his insights and perspectives about the discussions, keynotes, case study presentations and more. Check out the WOMM-U live blog and see what's going on in Miami, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
>> Catch the WOMM-U general session presentations via our live video feed: The WOMM-U general sessions will be broadcast via webcam. To check the broadcast schedule or to tune in now, visit:
http://womma.org/wommu/livevideo/
The afternoon keynote on day one featured Carla Hendra, Co-Ceo Ogilvy North America. The title of Carla's talk was Brand Marketing: It's All Word of Mouth Now! Carla wanted to focus on how agencies are changing and adapting to WOM and online communities.
Customers are looking for facts, by this she means raw information that hasn't been spun, they're looking for a trusted source. In cases this might come from brand loyalists, and not the brands.
Authenticity is key.
Carla moved into a quick review of the recent Dove Real Beauty campaign. The goal was to get women involved. The content was contributed by the fans, and they helped spread the word. The movement spread beyond discussions about health and beauty.
Oprah also became an advocate, and as we know, her WOM is rather powerful.
Carla thinks this campaign could not have happened without the digital and community aspect.
The evolution of the program was the the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. The initial commercial ran on the Super Bowl, but it was quickly reposted on YouTube and other Oprah did a show specifically about the self-esteem and young girls.
To read the full post, visit: http://www.womma.org/wommu.
WOMM-U: Day One Case Study: OPI Cosmetics
Day one of WOMM-U continued with a case study from OPI Cosmetics. Judy Stonefield, Senior Marketing Manager, OPI Cosmetics and Fiona Pietruski, CMO, SheSpeaks discussed how OPI has leveraged the SheSpeaks network to directly engage with their target customers.
First up was Judy from OPI. Judy started by questioning the norm of marketing. What if we are basing our marketing programs on truths that are false? Sometimes our truths are based upon skewed information. We have standard marketing research tools, but are they telling us what the customer really wants, and who that customer is?
OPI is the number one nail lacquer brand, but IRI reports don't include OPI. IRI only measures food, drug & mass sales, they were looking at a flat world. One in every four bottles purchased is actually OPI. How to get that word out?
With new products, they looked to partner with SheSpeaks. OPI soon saw that the advocacy and sales generated by SheSpeaks dwarfed millions of dollars of traditional media.
SheSpeaks is a network of 50,000+ women who become advocates for brands. Who are the women? 75% are moms, 50% are employed full-time, 30% are connected, i.e. they blog/comment.
To read the full post, visit: http://www.womma.org/wommu.
WOMM-U: Day One Case Study: New York Times: Return on Influence
Immediately after the opening keynote, Jeffrey Graham from the New York Times presented a case study on how the NYTimes is researching how word of mouth impacts advertising.
Jeffrey disagreed with Joesph, he thinks that WOM and traditional marketing can co-exist, that is that traditional advertising is not going away.
Jeffrey has a new title for his presentation: WOM: Marketing's Butt Crack. Good laugh.
Next up was a quick game to get things started.
First question: What are the more commonly used marketing objectives? A: Branding/Awareness B: Direct Response C: Trial Response
Second question: What variables are used most commonly in planning marketing? A: Demographics B: Contextual Relevance C: Cost
Third question: What are the most common measures of marketing effectiveness? A: Direct B: Response Branding
Fourth question: What is the most influential contact point? A: Word of Mouth
To read the full post, visit: http://www.womma.org/wommu.
WOMM-U kicked off in Miami, FL this morning with an opening keynote by Joseph Jaffe, author of Join the Conversation.
One of Joe's basic premises is that everything can be a conversation starter. If a book or a business card can be a conversation starter, why can't a brand? However, conversation and community are much bigger than a series of tactical strategies.
What's more important impressions or relationships? What brands realize now is that a single bad relationship can have a dramatic impact, i.e. Dell Hell.
The Cluetrain said that markets are conversation, Joe thinks that marketing can be a conversation. If we as an industry don't participate, we'll be left behind.
Joe jokingly said, "God gave us two ears and one mouth, use it"
Step 1, listen. It's unacceptable that often a marketing department doesn't know what's going on. Of course part of listening is hearing and understanding.
Step 2 is response, once you listen and hear you need be responsive. People expect a response.
Step 3 is join, but more importantly, be invited to join. Brands aren't as cool and sexy as they think they are. When brands built islands on Second Life the realized that nobody wanted to come. Brands have to earn their place in the party.
Step 4, catalyze. Brands have the budget, staff and resources to help things along. Find the influencers and help them.
To read the full post, visit http://www.womma.org/wommu.
Today we are kicking off our first ever Word of Mouth Marketing University event -- two full days of high-intensity learning in sunny Miami. This is slated to be the most dynamic and most unique WOMM learning event ever -- and we're thrilled to be hosting it.
We know some of you weren't able to make it down to Miami, but don't fret: Even if you can't join WOMMA and the rest of your WOMM peers for WOMM-U live, you can still sample some of what's going on.
Here's how:
>> Take a look at the WOMM-U Live Blog: WOMMA's live bloggers will be covering the WOMM-U event in real time, posting their insights and perspectives about the discussions, keynotes, case study presentations and more. Starting today, to check out the WOMM-U live blog and see what's going on in Miami, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
>> Catch the WOMM-U general session presentations via our live video feed: The WOMM-U general sessions will be broadcast via webcam. To check the broadcast schedule or to tune in now, visit:
http://womma.org/wommu/livevideo/
Some recently passed UK legislation that impacts word of mouth marketers across the pond has created a great deal of buzz in the industry -- with word of mouth marketers in the U.S. wondering how this affects them.
To address the ethics and regulatory questions this legislation has inspired, WOMMA is hosting a members-only conference call on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST featuring WOMMA Board president, Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group, WOMMA's legal council Tony DiResta, Partner at Reed Smith and former Director of the FTC's Southeast Regional Office, and WOM UK President Steve Barton.
Join this call to learn:
- What this legislation means for UK WOM marketers -- and what it doesn't
- What WOMMA is doing to create ethical standards in word of mouth marketing
- How WOMMA is working to foster an educational relationship with the FTC
- What WOM marketers need to do to make self-regulation a continued reality for the industry
- What WOMMA is doing going forward to continue promoting ethical standards in WOMM
WOMMA members: To get the dial-in information for this call, send an email request to membership@womma.org
Even if you can't join WOMMA and the rest of your WOMM peers for the Word of Mouth Marketing University (WOMM-U) event in Miami this Thursday and Friday, you can still sample some of what's going on.
Here's how:
>> Take a look at the WOMM-U Live Blog: WOMMA's live bloggers will be covering the WOMM-U event in real time, posting their insights and perspectives about the discussions, keynotes, case study presentations and more. Starting tomorrow, to check out the WOMM-U live blog and see what's going on in Miami, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
Some recently passed UK legislation that impacts word of mouth marketers across the pond has created a great deal of buzz in the industry -- with word of mouth marketers in the U.S. wondering how this affects them.
To address the ethics and regulatory questions this legislation has inspired, WOMMA is hosting a members-only conference call on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST featuring WOMMA Board president, Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group, WOMMA's legal council Tony DiResta, Partner at Reed Smith and former Director of the FTC's Southeast Regional Office, and WOM UK President Steve Barton.
Join this call to learn:
- What this legislation means for UK WOM marketers -- and what it doesn't
- What WOMMA is doing to create ethical standards in word of mouth marketing
- How WOMMA is working to foster an educational relationship with the FTC
- What WOM marketers need to do to make self-regulation a continued reality for the industry
- What WOMMA is doing going forward to continue promoting ethical standards in WOMM
WOMMA members: To get the dial-in information for this call, send an email request to membership@womma.org.
Retailers can't afford to ignore social media, according to a report put together by analysts from Gartner, Inc. The report, which includes a list of the top ten thing retailers need to know about social networks, delves into the differences between social networks and social networking platforms, consumer trends in social network use, and the kinds of word of mouth insights that can be gleaned from social networks -- as well as what retailers can do to best leverage online social networks for their business.
To promote its new Full Throttle Frozen Blast Slurpee during the month of May, 7-Eleven is pulling out all the stops: From piggy-backing on the mania around video game "Guitar Hero" -- which appeals to the beverage's target demographic, 18- to 34-year-old men -- to grassroots programs, dedicated street teams, and an online contest at slurpee.com where visitors can enter codes from their Slurpees for a chance to win a copy of the newest Guitar Hero game, "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith." Other elements of the effort include in-store Guitar Hero promotions, where fans can line up and play the game, and 10,000 customized guitar picks, which will direct fans back to the slurpee.com web contest. An altogether WOM-worthy effort.
Dole and Jamba Juice have paired up to launch an effort that results in consumer-generated ... smoothies. The companies have created a co-branded online environment at Jambafruit.com where consumers can share and upload their own smoothie recipes. An onsite contest -- which is part of the effort -- will have one happy winner walking away with a "Healthy Escape Getaway," a prize that encapsulates the health benefits promoted by both Dole and Jamba Juice.
Please join WOMMA in welcoming WOMM-U case study presenter Judy Stonefield of OPI Products Inc. Judy is responsible for the OPI Nail Lacquers segment of the company's business, which is known for its fashion-forward colors and quirky names. In addition, Judy manages the marketing of OPI's salon sanitation products. She has also been involved in the conceptualization and development of Nic's Sticks Paint & Go Nail Lacquer pens, which, along with Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquer, mark the company's entry into mass retail.
Join us at WOMM-U and learn how OPI has leveraged the SheSpeaks network to directly engage with their target customers, generate insights to enhance products and communications, and build word of mouth and brand advocacy. Using this network, OPI has successfully fielded market research and exposed consumers to new product offerings -- generating word of mouth and new sales.
This case study session will detail:
- How to find and connect with female shoppers
- How to transform your target consumers into brand ambassadors who will spread the word about your products and services
- What consumers want, how they connect, and why they buy
- How to create sustained word of mouth amongst women using targeted product placement and a legion of brand ambassadors
- How you can tap into online communities to access women and develop buzz for your brand
To meet Judy and other WOMM-U case study speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
This article, which outlines a case study from Absolut and details the Australian launch of their Absolut Cut product -- a pre-mixed, alcoholic beverage. The campaign targeted young men -- an audience identified to be particularly influential in this category -- and hosted live events at bars in Sidney and Melbourne to garner their initial attention. At the events, Absolut also featured photo exhibits, something intended to reconfirm the company's support of the arts. Post-launch, Absolut Cut sales were 34% above target, something the company credits to word of mouth generated by these launch events.
Marketing and advertising aren't the most influential forces in the creation of consumer-generated media, according to new research from Nielsen CGM/Homescan Buzzfacts. Fifty-five percent of consumers said they posted CGM content because they liked a product, 28% said they posted because they had tried and disliked a product, and 27% said they'd read a comment about a product on a site, blog, or message board and posted in response to it. According to the research, significantly fewer respondents reported that they posted CGM based on causes related to marketing and advertising.
Lego has announced plans for its branded virtual world, an effort aimed at creating a connection between online and offline branded building-block experiences. According to this article from The Washington Post, users of the online space will earn online currency by playing the game. As users play and spend time in the virtual space, they earn building materials and increase the richness of their online experience. The site also contains social elements so users can play together and communicate via an avatar -- which is crafted from Lego bricks, of course.
Wikipedia is fighting a liability suit brought against it by literary agent Barbara Bauer because of information posted about her on the site -- namely an article citing her as "the Dumbest of the 20 Worst" literary agents. Wikipedia claims that Bauer's suit is covered by the federal Communications Decency Act, which states that websites can't be sued for comments that are posted by its users.
WOMMA is happy to welcome WOMM-U case study presenter, Jen Gulvik, VP-Marketing and Creative Director for Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc., who oversees the marketing and in-house creative for Houlihan's and the company's two upscale-casual restaurant concepts. Jen joined Houlihan's in 2002 to lead a total brand repositioning for the company, re-imagining everything from food and beverage to in-store music for its 100+ restaurants.
Learn how Houlihan's transformed the way it communicates with customers by inviting them to HQ -- a branded community, WOM hub, and social network, all under one roof. Members of HQ's Advisor Group have a voice in everything from the company's menus to interior design. Forums and surveys provide a wealth of research from these loyal, well-networked foodies whose Brand Lover index is off the charts!
And, according to Houlihan's, it's about to get bigger: In April 2008, thousands more email club members will be invited to become HouliFans. These customers will be deputized to spread WOM on such things as Sex and the City martini promotions to new seasonal menus, with HQ acting as the hub.
Hear how letting customers into the halls at Houlihan's headquarters has been a path to loyalty, consumer insights, word of mouth, and ultimately, restaurant visits.
To meet Jen and other WOMM-U case study speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
A blog-based anti-counterfeit campaign created by a PR class at Hunter College in New York used a fake blog and a fictional student to spread its message. The blog was seeded via "missing" posters, which led students to a blog supposedly created by a fellow student who had lost her Coach bag. According to the fictitious story line, the bag had been a gift from her boyfriend -- now stationed in Iraq. The campaign, which is sponsored by a grant from Coach, is catching a lot of heat for its lack of disclosure and transparency -- offenses which fly in the face of ethical marketing.
To brush up on your word of mouth marketing ethics, visit:
http://www.womma.org/ethics/
A new Dockers campaign is hoping to appeal to the younger crowd with a familiar "create your own commercial" lure. The campaign enjoyed a kick off on The Tonight Show -- where a skit directed viewers to the brand's dedicated microsite at www.nbc.com/dockers. Dockers is also using its own social networking platform, Mixercast, as a way to support the campaign and the CGM contest. The winning Dockers commercial will appear on The Tonight Show, which is something the brand presumes will incentivize the young, male demographic it's targeting.
According to this article from eMarketer, more than twice as many 10- to 12-year-olds reported using social networking sites in 2007 as in 2006, and according to Harris Interactive's April 2008 "Youth Trends," more than half of girls aged 13 to 15 used social networking sites in 2007. Social network usage among girls was significantly higher than for boys (57% of 13- to 15-year-old girls compared to 38% of boys), and blog use among teen girls was also reportedly higher than among teen boys.
On the ReadWriteWeb blog, Bernard Lunn offers some predictions about the impact a recession would have on the web -- and specifically Web 2.0. Some of his predictions venture into the world of social media, including perspectives on how online social networking will fare in a recession considering the fact that most of these networks have yet to be sufficiently monetized. The article also looks at the role digital content creators -- from bloggers to online video makers, etc. -- will play in the changing web landscape.
This blog post from Forrester senior analyst Jeremiah Owyang takes a look at several different research sources, all of which address the idea of trust. According to research from Forrester, Edelman, and Pollara, consumers still trust recommendations from friends ahead of all other sources -- from traditional media, to bloggers, to, as Jeremiah quotes "strangers with 10,000 MySpace 'friends.'" The boiled down take-away message from the post is that honest, authentic word of mouth is still the best way to spread the kind of information that impacts consumers' purchase decisions.
Jeffrey Graham, Executive Director of Customer Insights, leads a 30-person corporate research team for The New York Times and nytimes.com, which includes advertising, product, marketing and strategic research, web analytics, and database marketing. Previously he was SVP of Strategic Research and Accountability Director for Starcom MediaVest, where he led communication research for Procter & Gamble, as well as research for P&G's television and digital investments.
At WOMM-U, Jeffrey will share recently-published findings on using word of mouth tracking to measure the effects of online and offline advertising. The presentation will highlight how the New York Times is using this approach to understand its audience and measure the effectiveness of campaigns in the newspaper and on its website.
Learn:
- How to use word of mouth to track online and offline marketing efforts
- How word of mouth can help you better understand your customers
- How advertisers can use display advertising to target influencers and grow advocacy for their products
- How publishers can capture value beyond branding and direct response
To meet Jeffrey and other WOMM-U case study speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
This blog post from Forrester senior analyst Jeremiah Owyang takes a look at several different research sources, all of which address the idea of trust. According to research from Forrester, Edelman, and Pollara, consumers still trust recommendations from friends ahead of all other sources -- from traditional media, to bloggers, to, as Jeremiah quotes "strangers with 10,000 MySpace 'friends.'" The boiled down take-away message from the post is that honest, authentic word of mouth is still the best way to spread the kind of information that impacts consumers' purchase decisions.
According to new research from search marketing consultancy Tamar, banks and credit card companies are missing a major reputation-improving opportunity by ignoring the things that people are saying about them on social networking sites. The study found that just 30% of the major financial brands it investigated had an online social media presence, while a whopping 80% of them were being discussed by customers in unofficial groups on the sites.
This podcast with Paul Dunay and Mike Spataro from WOMMA member company Visible Technologies takes a look at what to do beyond simply tracking online conversations about your brand. Once you've got an ear to the social media ground, what next?
For as much attention as microblogging site Twitter is garnering among the social media elite, it's still considered a niche platform and hasn't yet gained traction among the mainstream internet users. This article from The Washington Post provides a simplified look at what Twitter is and what Twitter can do -- for the common user. It's worth a look for the Twitter-curious, and worth passing along to your Twitter-oblivious friends.
Please join WOMMA in welcoming WOMM-U case study speaker Jordan Corredera of Carnival Cruise Lines. Jordan joined Carnival in 2003 and has held various positions within the sales, operations, and marketing groups. An advocate of social media and establishing corporate credibility online, he championed Carnival's Cruise Director Blog, which is the first and most popular insider blog in the cruise industry to date.
His most recent projects include funshipisland.com, Carnival's immersive virtual cruise experience; and Carnivalconnections.com, the cruise industry's first corporate social networking site. Currently, Jordan manages the interactive strategy team at Carnival Cruise Lines, which he founded in January of 2007. The team focuses on online innovation, social media and web strategy.
Join Jordan for his case study presentation, titled, "Marketing to Today's Consumers: 'Ain't We Got Fun.'" This presentation will be an interactive discussion of Carnival Cruise Lines' evolution from one way, push marketing strategies to insider blogs and profound WOMM campaigns.
Learn:
- How Carnival Cruise Lines has transformed the way that they communicate with consumers while increasing profits and managing the pressures of being a change-agent in a hyper competitive industry
- How Carnival influenced word of mouth in the high-talk travel category
- What WOMM techniques Carnival used to get people talking about its cruise experiences
To meet Jordan and other WOMM-U case study speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
WOMMA is soliciting nominations for candidates for its Board of Directors. This year, there are seven open seats on the Board, and we encourage all eligible members to run.
This is a GREAT opportunity to serve your industry and to shape WOMMA in the years to come -- but today is your last chance to get your materials in.
To find out everything you need to know about the WOMMA Board elections process, including the nomination criteria, visit: www.womma.org/elections.
A small stuffer inside a Tom's of Maine toothpaste box -- promoting the volunteer activities the company's "consumer dialog specialist" -- caught the attention of Virginia Miracle, who used the flier as a jumping off point to investigate Tom's of Maine further -- and posted what she found on her Marketing Environmentalism blog. According to Virginia, 5% of Tom's of Maine employee time is spent on volunteer activities and 10% of the company's profits are reinvested in the community. It's not just the values-based business model that is noteworthy, but the way the company is promoting these values that makes it WOM-worthy.
According to last month's Internet Trends Report from Morgan Stanley, "social connections" are garnering a large portion of consumers' time spent online -- a total of 16%, which isn't bad for a category that didn't exist three years ago. According to the report, YouTube has 258 million users, more than half of which visit the site at least weekly. The study also found that more than half of Facebook users log in to the site daily, and more than 95% have downloaded at least one third party application.
According to this article from the Chicago Tribune, nonprofit organizations are testing out using online social networks as a way to raise awareness and collect funds. The trend is a departure for most of these organizations, which have long relied on direct mail efforts and financial contributions from an older demographic. Most are hoping that the social media trail will lead to new marketing and funding sources. Overall, social media efforts offer nonprofits increased opportunity for real engagement -- something that the organizations think will drive deeper relationships and, ultimately, more dollars.
As author of "Join the Conversation," the "Jaffe Juice" blogger and podcast producer, the Chief Interrupter of crayon, a frequent speaker, and a sought-after consultant, Joseph Jaffe wears many hats within the new marketing industry -- and WOMMA is thrilled to have him join us at WOMM-U as one of our notoriously remarkable keynote speakers.
Find out:
- About the birth and rise of the conversational marketing phenomenon
- The media power-shift, and the changing roles of "the marketer" and "the consumer"
- How marketers can adapt to the new world of the internet, social media and networking, consumer generated content, blogs, and podcasts by joining the customer conversations that are already in progress
- How marketers can be invited into the conversation -- instead of constantly disrupting it
- How to leverage the partnership created by conversational marketing
- What happens next?
To meet Joseph and other WOMM-U Keynote speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
Saturn's recently launched online social networking site, ImSaturn, has acquired more than 1,200 in its first few weeks -- more than the company expected to attract in it's six-month projection. The company used existing fan sites and a link on its homepage to tip fans off to the site's web presence. On the site, users can read Saturn news, upload pictures and videos, chat with other ImSaturn members, and weigh in about the company's past and current marketing efforts.
WOMMA is soliciting nominations for candidates for its Board of Directors. This year, there are seven open seats on the Board, and we encourage all eligible members to run.
This is a GREAT opportunity to serve your industry and to shape WOMMA in the years to come.
To find out everything you need to know about the WOMMA Board elections process, including the nomination criteria, visit: www.womma.org/elections.
Using the premise that "Social media marketing isn't about optimizing or advertising. It's about socializing," this article from ClickZ offers some tips for how to really dig in and get socially active within your social media marketing efforts. Buying advertising space isn't the same as getting up close and personal and making genuine connections with your "friends" and fans -- which is how social media was intended to be used.
On the Online Spin blog, Joe Marchese examines social media's divided role as both a communication devise and a marketing medium. According to Marchese, social media has yet to rise to the "how did we ever live without it" communication status of, say, cell phones, and -- simultaneously -- marketers are still at the early stages of learning how to use it. How social media's split personality works itself out will influence both its longevity as a communications platform and its ability to be monetized.
WOMM-U keynote presenter Andrew Lark's 20 years experience across the BtoB and BtoC sectors spans leading award-winning programs and teams for Fortune and Times 100 companies, global brands, start-ups, and the world's biggest advertising and communications agencies. During his career, he has worked and lived in the majority of the world's major markets and developed a reputation as a highly creative executive, reputation turn-around specialist, and marketer. He is a prolific writer, blogger, and speaker on marketing, emerging business strategies, marketing/communications measurement, and Web 2.0.
Today, Andrew is VP of Global Marketing and Communications at Dell, where he is charged with leading the company's communications, conversations, and communities. Andrew joined Dell from LogLogic -- a technology start-up that provides breakthrough technology for collecting, storing, and analyzing IT log data from systems of all kinds. Andrew leads all marketing activity as CMO, as well as the company's business efforts in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Hear Andrew speak at WOMM-U and learn:
- How word of mouth and social media have changed Dell forever
- How Dell is using more and more non-traditional marketing and communications
- The efforts Dell is making to be a part of the conversation with their customers
To meet Andrew and other WOMM-U Keynote speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
According to the Associated Press, WOMMA member company Yahoo Inc. is getting some work done under its hood, the end result of which will be a more social networking touchpoints through its intricate online destination. Much of its new social capabilities will come from hosted applications -- a potential source of advertising revenue that the company is hoping to cash in on.
WOMMA is soliciting nominations for candidates for its Board of Directors. This year, there are seven open seats on the Board, and we encourage all eligible members to run.
This is a GREAT opportunity to serve your industry and to shape WOMMA in the years to come.
To find out everything you need to know about the WOMMA Board elections process, including the nomination criteria, visit: www.womma.org/elections.
Proponents of social music sites say the fan base is just starting to reach its full potential, and points to numerous ways -- beyond just advertising -- that the minions of music fans can be leveraged. While some balk at the idea of music being socialized and the move away from big box producers, others claim that the socialization of the way music is found and picked up by listeners marks a crossroads in the way the music business runs.
This case study provides an in-depth look at how one company was able to garner the attention of its targeted bloggers. The company mailed its select group of bloggers love letters -- yes, actual snail-mail love letters -- which led them to a personalized landing page. Overall, the effort generated more than four times as many page views as letters sent and was considered a success by its creators.
WOMMA is thrilled to introduce you to one of our fantastic WOMM-U keynote speakers, Carla Hendra, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy North America and Chairman of Ogilvy New York. Carla understands that new skills, strategies, and structures are key to bridging the gap between solid marketing fundamentals and new, digitally empowered consumer behavior. And to create a lasting memorable brand experience, we have to engage our audiences in an emotionally relevant way and immerse our brands into customer communities.
Using client cases, Carla will show attendees how Ogilvy is reinventing itself to reach and engage consumers by combining traditional marketing and online efforts with consumer-driven content, social networking, and word of mouth marketing.
Hear Carla speak at WOMM-U and find out:
- How marketers are taking advantage of the opportunities arising from new ways of connecting with consumers
- How agencies are adapting to embrace and work with the opinion leaders, the trendsetters, the connectors, the mavens, and the bloggers
- How word of mouth is transforming marketing
- Why every CMO needs to evolve their view of WOMM
- How Ogilvy has embraced WOMM
To meet Carla and other WOMM-U Keynote speakers, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
To bolster fan interest in some of its top series, MTV has launched several online "playgrounds," in which users create speaking avatars and use them to interact with others in the show-specific playground. MTV is also hoping that the playground visitors take their avatars with them to their other social online destinations. The avatars were created to be extremely mobile, and users can embed them into their Facebook or MySpace pages, their blogs, and other online spaces. Once embedded on the sites, the avatars can act as widgets -- spreading the word about show updates, etc.
WOMMA is soliciting nominations for candidates for its Board of Directors. This year, there are seven open seats on the Board, and we encourage all eligible members to run.
This is a GREAT opportunity to serve your industry and to shape WOMMA in the years to come.
To find out everything you need to know about the WOMMA Board elections process, including the nomination criteria, visit: www.womma.org/elections
In a move that could connect upwards of three million Chicago Public Schools alumni, the district has launched online social hub CPSalumni.org, marking CPS as the first large, urban school district to use this method to boost alumni interaction. The online network contains special areas for each individual school and provides a plethora of ways for CPS alumni to connect, get involved, share stories, and otherwise continue to foster good will for their alma mater.
The majority of the $1.6 billion that marketers are projected to spend on advertising on social networking sites this year is being pumped into small, niche sites. Part of the lure for marketers is the targeted audience these smaller networking sites offer -- something that the larger social sites, with their one-size-fits-all policy can't provide.
Please join WOMMA in welcoming WOMM-U Faculty member Tom Kehler, who is the VP and General Manager of Community Solutions for WOMMA member company Satmetrix. Prior to the merger with Satmetrix, Tom was Chairman and Founder of Informative. Prior to Informative, TOm was Chairman and CEO of Recipio from 1998 through January, 2002. Recipio developed and marketed the technology platform for Adaptive Conversations and relationship marketing platform acquired by Informative.
Before Recipio, TOM was CEO of Connect, Inc, which pioneered application software for on-line communities and internet-based e-commerce. Connect lead the charge of building large-scale e-commerce applications for major brands. Before Connect, Mr. Kehler was Chairman and CEO of IntelliCorp, which was the leading provider of application development software that incorporated expert systems, artificial intelligence, and object oriented programming. Tom has served on the Information Technology Advisory Board of the National Research Council and received a Ph.D. in applied physics from Drexel University.
To meet Tom and other WOMM-U Faculty members, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
According to recent research from Hitwise, social networking sites drive more than 28% of traffic to online video viewing websites, almost identical to the amount of upstream traffic coming from search sites. A year ago, significantly more online video traffic came from social sites -- which indicates that either online video creators are getting more crafty with their SEO, or more consumers are going online in search of online video.
WOMMA is soliciting nominations for candidates for its Board of Directors. This year, there are seven open seats on the Board, and we encourage all eligible members to run.
This is a GREAT opportunity to serve your industry and to shape WOMMA in the years to come.
To find out everything you need to know about the WOMMA Board elections process, including the nomination criteria, visit: www.womma.org/elections.
MySpace is giving their advertisers control of their own profiles -- as a way to make the advertising process less labor-intensive, as well as to foster the idea of creating relationships between brands and MySpace users. The move is tied directly to advertisers' request for a format that allows them to work to build standing relationships within the social networking space rather than completing a one-off campaign and dissolving their online presence.
Putting in the time investment to spruce up your corporate blog can make all the difference when it comes to having good customer relations. Customer love can make all the difference between being the best in the business and being driven out of business. Using a blog as a way to convey to customers and potential customers that you are the authoritative voice on what you sell, make, or do can have a resounding impact, according to this WebProNews article.
Please join WOMMA in welcoming WOMM-U Faculty member Jason Anello of WOMMA member company Yahoo!. Jason is constantly wondering -- why'd you just do that? As an Ideologist in Yahoo!'s Buzz Marketing Group, he created a Buzz Labs team dedicated to finding more relevant and genuine ways to connect and communicate with his audiences. He believes you have to listen closely, keep your eyes peeled, and find the right time to effectively make a lasting connection with your users/consumers.
Before putting on his "lab coat" Jason found himself, for better or for worse, as creative director in every modern marketing medium that exists. He cut his teeth in the fingerprint-filled world of general advertising. Once significantly beaten down, he jumped next into the stodgy yet compelling world of classic direct marketing. Jason credits his deep understanding of left brain-right brain marketing to this experience. He tasted his first pixel in 1998 when hrefs and gifs were foreign words to clients. This quickly pushed him into the deep end of the digital pool. Putting this experience to work, he landed on the west coast for a few years, enjoying a steady diet of websites and 360 degree campaigns with Yahoo!. He returned to New York working at Ogilvy until the Yahoo! Buzz Marketing group came knocking in 2006, allowing him to fill the gap in his portfolio with some cutting edge experiential work.
To meet Jason and other WOMM-U Faculty members, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
On the Digital Podcast blog, Alex Nesbitt takes a look at Levi's Project 501, which integrated an ad spot on Bravo's Project Runway with a contest aimed at aspiring designers. The contest portion of the campaign generated more than 3,000 design submissions, 134,000 unique visitors, and 19,000 registered users. According to the case study, social media drove more than 38% of the campaign's total awareness, and directly impacted Levi's top-selling products.
According to a new study from the Society for New Communications Research, 72% of consumers use social media resources to research a company's reputation before making a purchase decision. Seventy-four percent of consumers report basing their decisions to do business with a company on their social media research. The study also found that 59% of those surveyed say they use social media as a place to vent their customer service frustrations.
Trendpedia, new blog search tool that is currently launched in beta, is a free way to track and compare how your brand, your name, or your competitor stack up in the blogosphere. It's a great way to find out your trend line over time, as well as to see who, when, where, and how often your search term is being blogged about.
Getting a good grip on a platform as seemingly limited as the 140-character microbloging site, Twitter, can be a challenge for the uninitiated -- which is why how-tos are so helpful. This article from MarketingVOX offers some tips on how to use Twitter right -- especially as a way to build your brand. It includes insights into how to build your contacts lists (follow everyone), as well as how to interact (be personal and responsive).
WOMMA is thrilled to welcome WOMM-U Faculty member Clayton Closson, who is the website content manager for Quicken Loans -- the nation's largest online mortgage lender. Clayton is responsible for the flagship Quicken Loans website, as well as several smaller partner sites including his beloved DIFF blog -- the Quicken Loans employee blog. Clayton led the team that launched the DIFF -- Quicken Loans' first venture into blogging -- and he's never looked back.
Clayton is also charged with all Quicken Loans off-site content, including the WOMMIE Award-winning Yahoo! Answers Knowledge Partner program, regular content for Yahoo! Real Estate, blogger outreach, and all Quicken Loans' WOM projects. He's extremely proud of the pro-bono blog/site that Quicken Loans created for the non-profit "A Ride for 3 Reasons" (www.3reasons.org), which raised almost a half-million dollars for charity.
Clayton is an avid supporter of WOMMA and loves the challenge of making something as unexciting as mortgages WOM-worthy, and pushing hard to sell the benefits of WOM to Quicken Loans senior team leaders. It's all in a day's work for this (sort of) young man, who is a former soldier, opera intern, purchasing agent, government publicist, webmaster, and SEO dude. He's extremely proud to add "WOMM-U facilitator" to the list. Though he still holds that being an opera intern and dressing up like Mozart, running around parties drinking wine and talking to old ladies was really fun. Even for $5 an hour.
To meet Clayton and other WOMM-U Faculty members, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
In response to claims that social media is producing too much "filler" content that isn't really adding enduring value, and that information needs to be filtered by an outside source, Andy Beal counters that carefully picking for yourself which bits and pieces of social media you're going to participate in will go a long way to curbing the overload. The idea that it's social media's fault that you're inundated with information misses the mark. Beal encourages social media users to exercise a little discipline and be pickier about which platforms get their time and attention.
Radio Disney is counting on positive word of mouth from happy users -- as well as some banner advertising on social networking giant MySpace -- to drive traffic to its website. On the website, listeners with internet-accessible mobile phones can view the last ten songs played, request songs via text message, take part in polls, and more. The website and mobile features will rely on word of mouth to drive awareness until this summer, which is when the company is considering launching a more traditional ad campaign.
Instead of ceding the online encyclopedia battle to Wikipedia entirely, Encyclopedia Britannica has begun to embrace a slew of Web 2.0 tools -- from its branded widgets and Twitter feed to its newly launched "WebShare," which is offering free access to its content (typically a $69.95 price tag) to bloggers and editors. The free content offered to bloggers has the potential to spread across the blogosphere as bloggers use -- and cite -- the content found on the Britannica site.
Inspired by the small, affordable, and easy-to-use Flip video recorder, Mark Goren suggests some ways companies could get a lot of mileage from relatively little investment by getting these recorders into the hands of all of their biggest fans. From branding the Flip recorders themselves with company-emblazoned skins, to creating contests around videos that brand enthusiasts upload, Goren generated a handful of unique ideas for how to leverage this one, little piece of technology to get WOM flowing.
Please join WOMMA in welcoming WOMM-U Faculty member Warren Sukernek, who is a senior strategist with WOMMA member company VML -- a top 20 Interactive Marketing Agency and part of the Wunderman Network in Seattle. Warren helps guide strategy and planning for product development, marketing communications, relationship management, and social networking -- working with Seattle clients as well as VML's other national clients.
Warren has over 15 years of client and agency experience in e-commerce, community, content management solutions, consumer focused webinars, demand generation, blogging, and email-based RM campaigns. He often finds himself at the intersection of marketing and technology, because that's where the fun is.
Warren earned a bachelor's degree from McGill University and received his MBA from Boston University. A noted expert on Baby Boomer marketing, Warren has spoken at numerous conferences including Seattle Direct Marketing Association, the Catalog Conference and Niche Cruise Marketing Association.
To meet Warren and other WOMM-U Faculty members, peruse the agenda, check out the keynote presentations, or to register, visit:
http://www.womma.org/wommu
Johnson & Johnson invited more than fifty influential moms to a three-day conference called Camp Baby, where the company refrained from plugging its brand while it hosted its handful of all-expenses-paid moms. The moms were wined and dined and attended breakout sessions, including panels on how to get babies to sleep, nutritional tips for raising healthy families, and more. The goal of the event was to form experience-based relationships with these socially connected moms -- in the hopes that they'd take their learnings -- and their new-found brand love -- back to their social networks.
As with any new venue, Twitter users have established a code of conduct that frequent users adhere to. If you crash onto the scene and break the rules, not only will you step on the toes of current users, you'll mark yourself as a newbie and won't be taken seriously. This
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