WOMMA Passes 200 Members!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT
Andy Sernovitz, CEO
Word of Mouth Marketing Association
312-335-0035
editor@womma.org
http://www.womma.org

Word Of Mouth Marketing Goes Mainstream:
200 Companies Join Word Of Mouth Marketing Association

CHICAGO, September 29, 2005 -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) announced today that it hit the 200-member milestone only 11 months after it began accepting members, an unprecedented growth rate that clearly shows word of mouth marketing has become widely recognized as an important part of the marketing mainstream.

Major brands and agencies are turning to WOMMA as they integrate word of mouth into their core marketing strategies.

As the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry, WOMMA's role is to accelerate the adoption of word of mouth by building a strong foundation of ethical principals, measurable ROI, and best practices.

"WOMMA's growth clearly shows that word of mouth is no fad but a substantive part of the marketing landscape," said WOMMA CEO Andy Sernovitz.

A Strong Foundation: Ethics and Measurement

WOMMA was created in mid-2004 to champion high ethical standards for the emerging specialty, and immediately developed an enthusiastic following among marketing professionals and major brands.

The group was formally organized in November, 2004 when it began accepting members. Enrolling 200 corporations and organizations in under a year makes WOMMA the fastest- growing association in recent memory.

"Word of mouth is here to stay," said Dave Balter, WOMMA co-founder and CEO of BzzAgent. "It has gone mainstream, as the association's tremendous growth shows. There's a fundamental change going on in marketing and word of mouth is leading that charge." Balter is author of Grapevine: The New Art of Word of Mouth Marketing, to be released this November.

WOMMA's first major initiative was to publish the WOMMA Ethics Code. By leading with a focus on ethics, a highly unusual move for a new association, WOMMA set a clear priority for this new industry and continues to drive discussion of this critical issue.

"WOMMA's amazing growth proves that listening to the voice of the consumer, respecting the consumer, and putting ethics first are topics that are resonating with corporate America," said Pete Blackshaw, co-founder of WOMMA and CMO of Intelliseek.

In July, 2005, WOMMA released the first standards for measuring the effectiveness of word of mouth, and WOMMA also has developed an essential terminology framework for the industry.

"The future of advertising and marketing is accountability. WOMMA's work on standards, terminology, and measurement has laid the foundation for word of mouth to be an accountable and important part of the marketing mix," said WOMMA co-founder and BuzzMetrics CEO Jonathan Carson.

WOMMA's 200 Members

Advertising Research Foundation
Advertising Specialty Institute
Agency.com
Alloy Media & Marketing
Amway
AOL
Arnold Worldwide
ASATSU-DK
Association Forum
Avenue A/Razorfish
Azoomma Marketing Lab
barracuda digitale agentur
Beck Ag Com
Best Buy
BetFair
BigChampagne
Biggs|Gilmore
BIGresearch
Boardreader.com
Bolt Media
Brains on Fire
Brand Autopsy
Brandimensions
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Burson-Marsteller
buySAFE
Buzzmarketing
BuzzMetrics
BzzAgent
Carlson Marketing Group
The Cartoon Bank
CEI-Star
Ciceron
Cercone Brown Curtis
Chautauqua Communications
The Clinton Group
The Clorox Company
The Coca-Cola Company
Cold Stone Creamery
Cole & Weber / Red Cell
Coleo Marketing Group
ComBlu
comScore Networks
Conceptus
Conference Calls Unlimited
Conkling Fiskum & McCormick
CRM Metrix
Cross Warp
CTSG and Kintera
Customunity
Cymfony
DDB Chicago
DDB Issues & Advocacy
Decision Analyst
Decision Power
DEI Worldwide
Dell
Dentsu
Dewey Square Group
DIG Business Design
Digital Cement
Digital Media Strategies
Digital Palette
Direct Impact
Discovery Communications
Dotglu
DuPont Company
EchoDitto
Echopinion
eCRUSH
Edelman
Electric Artists
eLife
Endeavor Realty
Evangelist Marketing
Expo Communications
FanPimp
Fidelity Investments
FieldWorks
Fila Online
Fleishman-Hillard
Foote, Cone & Belding
FreeSuper
Friendster
Future Now
Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp
GasPedal
Genuosity
Gillespie
GfK NOP
Globat.com
GolinHarris
Greater Louisville
Ground Force Network
GSD&M
Hadrian's Wall
Harvard Business School
Hass MS&L
Hill & Knowlton
Higher One
Hosting.com
HypeCouncil
Ice.com
Ignite Health
iKarma
Informative
Integrasco
Intelliseek
Interpret-Her
InterMedia Survey
Intuit
IPC
Judy's Book
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Kaava
Keith Bates & Associates
Ketchum Communications
Kimberly-Clark
Kraft Foods
Lawton eMarketing
Lemon Foundation
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Liquid Intelligence
Loyalty Research Center
Lucent Technologies
Lucid Marketing
Lumin Collaborative
M80
Market China
Marketing Technology Solutions
Matchstick
Maxwell PR Studio
Mediaedge:cia UK
Medicis Aesthetics
Millward Brown
Mona Lisa Consulting
Moroch
MotiveQuest
Motorola
MSHC Partners
Murad
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Network Century
Nielsen//NetRatings
Northlich
Omotion
1QuickReferral.Com
OnMessage Communications
Organic
Oslo - Inteligência de Mercado
Paterno Wines International
Pearson Education
The Phelon Group
Pollinate
Postscript
Presslaff Interactive Revenue
ProFlowers
Pronto Communication
TAP Interactive
The Prostate Net
Public Relations Partners
Qtags
REACH Media
Renegade Asia
Renegade Marketing Group
Rex Public Relations
Richards/Gravelle
Rowland Communications Worldwide
Ruxton Ventures
S.C. Johnson
Schneider Associates
Scott Kay
Simmons Market Research
Slack Barshinger
Soapbox Marketing
Spa Promotions
Sprint
Squad
Starcom MediaVest Group
StartSampling
Target Marketing
TaylorMade-adidas Golf
TechSmith
Texas Arts Marketing Network
Thomas Industrial Network
Tickle
Trendum
Tribe Networks
The Tweedy Group
VantagePoint Venture Partners
The Vandiver Group
Verizon Wireless
virusfilm
Visible Path
Vocanic Pte Ltd
Weber Shandwick
The Well Advertising
Whirlpool
Wildfire
Zealot
Zondervan

###

Posted by WOMMA Editor at September 29, 2005 | Link

Join us for Dinner -- WOMMA Member Banquet, 9/27

Join us for a pre-conference WOMMA Members Banquet! Everyone will be there -- don't make other plans.

Dinner will be at Sal Anthony's SPQR, a terrific Italian restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. Run back to your hotel, change clothes, call your kids, and get ready for a feast! No speakers or agenda are scheduled -- just come for a good time and a great meal with your peers.

If you're in the Tri-State area, this is a great way to meet WOMMA members both old and new. for this must-attend event is $75 or free for all conference attendees.

The restaurant is located at 133 Mulberry Street, between Grand and Hester Streets. If you need transportation, chartered buses will leave the front entrance of the hotel at 6:00pm sharp.

Register today:
http://www.womma.org/nyc

Posted by WOMMA Editor at September 26, 2005 | Link

WOMMA Members Speak at Chicago PRSA

Word of mouth is about inviting consumers to become part of your campaign, said WOMMA members speaking at a Chicago PRSA luncheon. Kathy Baughman of ComBlu, Rick Murray of Edelman, and Anthony Schweizer of BzzAgent took part in the session moderated by WOMMA CEO Andy Sernovitz.

Posted by WOMMA Editor at September 26, 2005 | Link

New Members: Lucent Technologies, Lucid Marketing, Chautaurqua Communications, Pollinate, Betfair, Virusfilm, Avenue A/Razorfish

We're proud to welcome more new WOMMA members:

Lucent Technologies
Lucid Marketing
Chautauqua Communications
Pollinate
Betfair
Virusfilm
Avenue A/Razorfish

We are also pleased to welcome two new members of the WOMMA
Advisory Board:

>> Ed Keller, Co-Author, "The Influentials"
http://womma.org/pages/2005/08/ed_keller_joins.htm

>> Emanuel Rosen, Author, "The Anatomy of Buzz"
http://womma.org/pages/2005/08/emanuel_rosen_j.htm

Thank you for your support!

Posted by WOMMA Editor at September 14, 2005 | Link