October 2005
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WOMMA moved quickly to respond to an AdAge.com headline that questioned the legality of word of mouth marketing. The association and its members stepped up to educate the media and marketers about the importance of ethics transparency and disclosure in word of mouth marketing. They reminded people of the WOMMA Ethics Code which forbids the use of stealth marketing and calls for honesty in all aspects of word of mouth.
WOMMA also provided members with talking points on the subject of honesty and ethics in WOM and took part in several blog discussions on the topic.
WOMMA's official response:
http://womma.org/pages/2005/10/womma_responds.htm
Original AdAge.com article:
http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=46234
WOMMA Rebuttal in AdAge.com:
http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=46342
British Blogger Tom Coates is upset with a blog that he says is only a cover for a brand of cleaning product, Cillit Bang. Seems Coates was writing about not speaking with his father for almost 30 years when someone calling himself Barry Scott responded. Coates found out that Scott's blog is just a stealth site for Cillit Bang and spoke out against it on his blog.
The Lesson: Stealth is always exposed, be honest.
Learn more
Consumer generated content is a powerful tool for advertisers that learn to use it. Insurance giant Geico has gotten a lot of advertising mileage out of its Geico Gecko mascot. Now it's using the Gecko for word of mouth, inviting people to create 15-second movie trailers featuring the Gecko. The Geico website invites people to view and vote on the submitted mini-films.
Film makers are invited to promote their films by placing links to the Geico site in their blogs and they're asked to tell friends to promote their films as well.
The Lesson: Invite the public to participate in your marketing.
More info:
http://www.geico.com/about/press/goldengecko.htm
Mutual fund managers located in the same city tend to buy the same stocks, indicating that word of mouth in a location plays a role in their investment decisions, according to a study by a team of professors from Princeton, Harvard, and Syracuse University.
The study theorizes that fund managers in a given city talk to each other at investment conferences and other events, exchanging information that influences their investment activities.
More info:
http://www-cpr.maxwell.syr.edu/faculty/kubik/ThyNeighbor.pdf
Dell is relying on WOM to launch a new product, The Ditty, which will compete with Apple's iPod Shuffle. The effort marks the first time Dell hasn't turned to traditional advertising to bring out a new product. It's asking employees and focus groups to talk up the Ditty, which holds up to 220 songs. It's also created a web site and viral e-mail effort targeting teenagers and young adults.
More info:
http://www.dellditty.com/guitar.aspx
Ban deodorant is inviting consumers to talk about what they would ban. It's part of a contest that gets people involved in creating marketing messages for the brand. Consumers who visit the contest site can create an ad talking about something they'd ban if they had the chance. The ads are posted in a gallery on the site that others can view. Nine winning entries in the contest aimed at young women ages 12-21 will be featured in new Ban ads.
The Lesson: Get consumers actively involved in the marketing conversation.
More Info:
http://www.feelbanfresh.com
British Airways is using a viral text messaging campaign in conjunction with an online ad to drive traffic to its web site. Ads on the site invite people to send a British slang expression to friends who are told they can find a definition on the BA site. The word or expression changes daily, a reason for people to come back to the site to get another item they can send to friends.
The Lesson: WOM isn't a one-time effort, give people a fresh reason to talk to people.
More info:
http://www.ba.com
Consumers are 50 percent more likely to be influenced by word of mouth recommendations than by traditional TV or radio ads, reports Intelliseek in a new study.
Consumers who actively skip or delete TV and online ads are 25 percent more likely to create and respond to consumer generated media on message boards, forums, and blogs, the study also found. Positive word of mouth from someone a person knows ranks highest in influencing consumer purchase decisions.
More info:
http://www.intelliseek.com/releases2.asp?id=141
Internet analytics firm Trendum has acquired WOM researcher BuzzMetrics. The company will do business as BuzzMetrics and have the strategic backing of VNU, owner of such renowned research brands as ACNielsen and Nielsen Media Research. VNU is a minority shareholder in the new company. The new BuzzMetrics will build on Trendum's advanced technology, while leveraging VNU's global sales, marketing and research capabilities.
Both BuzzMetrics and Trendum are members of WOMMA.
More info:
http://www.buzzmetrics.com/about/BuzzMetrics_trendum_join.htm
Job: BzzAgentis looking for a senior account director in its Boston office and a senior account director in either Anaheim or Boston with bi-coastal travel required. Email resume and cover letter to jobs15@bzzagent.com.
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