February 2006
← January 2006 | Womnibus Home | March 2006 →
Lydia Parnes, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, recently highlighted WOMMA's efforts to promote strong ethical guidelines for the industry. "As I understand it, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association has issued draft ethical conduct guidelines to make sure that buzz marketers are up front about who they are and what they are doing. I am encouraged by the steps the Association has taken."
Parnes' remarks came in an address made at the Association of National Advertisers' 2006 Annual Advertising Law & Business Conference.
Read a transcript here:
http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/parnes.htm
One simple way to track online word of mouth is to continually monitor the top stories people forward from news sites. These are the stories that inspire much of the conversation that takes place online. Many big news sites like the New York Times make a top forwarded news list available while NPR includes a "most e-mailed stories" link in their monthly newsletter.
More info:
http://www.nytimes.com/gst/mostemailed.html
http://www.npr.org/sendEmail/top25emailed.html
BzzAgent recently launched a new word of mouth "channel" that will allow markers to work directly with the company's 130,000 volunteer agents. Up to now, BzzAgent has acted as an intermediary by operating programs and granting access on its clients' behalf. The program is geared toward advertising, marketing, and PR agencies used to buying tangible units such as time or ad space. First up to run campaigns under the program will be Arnold Worldwide and Starcom Media Vest Group's Reverb division.
More info:
http://www.bzzagent.com/pages/Press_Releases.jsp
In a new white paper on BtoB word of mouth marketing, The Phelon Group has outlined three key strategies crucial for measuring the impact of word of mouth programs:
* Measure and promote "Return on Reference" -- Determine the impact that satisfied customers have on various influencers.
* Measure and leverage market visibility -- Use new tracking services to monitor company mentions across all media (print, broadcast, and online media).
* Evaluate and foster customer commitment -- Go further than loyalty and measure a customers' willingness to recommend a product or service to a friend.
Read the white paper.
Jobs: Bazaarvoice (Austin, TX) is hiring for several positions, including a Sales Director and Product Manager, Web/Interactive Marketing. Both positions are based in Austin. Full details are available at http://www.bazaarvoice.com/jobs.html.
Jobs: Higher One (New Haven, CT) is hiring a Consumer Marketing Director and Marketing Coordinator (Word of Mouth and Campus Channels). Both positions are based in New Haven. Full details are available at http://www.higherone.com/employment.
Job: Vocanic (Singapore) is seeking a Client Engagement Manager to develop innovative Influencer Driven Word of Mouth marketing strategies and to lead the company's clients through the process of identifying influencers and executing activation programs. The position is based in Singapore. To apply, please send inquiries to jobs@vocanic.com.
>> Make a new hire? Have an open WOM, viral, or buzz job
opening? E-mail editor@womma.org and let us know!
WOMMA is hiring! All-new opportunities have now been posted. Click the individual titles for job descriptions and instructions on how to apply.
Director of Membership
Reporter/Writer
Office Manager
Pass it on:
http://womma.org/jobs
As online review sites have become big influencers on consumer travel planning, some hotels and resorts have reacted by posting fake recommendations that unfairly boost their ratings. The good news is that most sites are starting to police themselves, recognizing that these unauthorized stealth marketers damage their integrity. We8there.com and HotelShark.com, for instance, monitor and scrutinize every recommendation before it's posted. The biggest site, TripAdvisor.com, designed a top-secret algorithm to analyze and weed out fraudulent posts.
Learn more
Producers for the Showtime series "The L Word" are bringing new meaning to the term "interactive TV". The show is actually inviting fans to help write an upcoming episode. The way it works is simple -- producers solicit a new scene each week and fans will then vote on their favorite submission.
While the producers are not guaranteeing the episode will ultimately air, the contest is a certainly a unique way of connecting a TV show with its biggest fans.
More info:
http://lword.fanlib.com/rulesinfo.htm
Podcasts have become popular as ways of generating word of mouth because they are cheap, portable, and are a hot topic of conversation. Fundamentally, they are really people or brands telling stories. BMW is taking that literally. The automaker has recruited best-selling authors to write stories featuring BMW cars as part of the plot. Each of the stories are then recorded as audio books and subsequently released as podcasts.
More info:
http://www.bmwaudiobooks.com
http://sedans.autoblog.com/2006/02/06/bmw-enters-world-of-podcasting
When it comes to gathering information on vehicles, nearly half of all perspective car buyers rely on word of mouth as a key influencer.
According to a new Harris Interactive poll, 52 percent of consumers said they relied on recommendations from friends and family. Dealership visits were still the biggest single influencer at 77 percent and information gleaned from auto manufacturers' web sites came in second at 58 percent.
The study also confirmed the Internet as a huge influencer by itself. 68 percent of all new car buyers said that the Internet was a huge influencer on their choice, with Edmunds.com and ConsumerReports.org the most visited destinations.
Learn more
Gary Stein: WOM Helps Create "More Compelling Marketing"
Read the full story
Why Employee Evangelists Should Come First
Read the full story
Isobar Acquires Ammo Marketing
Read the full story
Over two days in January at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, 450 attendees and 70+ speakers came together to share practical, hands-on advice on word of mouth marketing at WOMMA's Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference. Featuring 16 case studies and 16 how-to sessions, the event was a resounding success!
News from the conference
* Thomas Pahl of the Federal Trade Commission spoke on a morning panel and gave a positive assessment of WOMMA's work promoting strong industry ethics.
http://womma.org/wombat/blog/2006/01/day_1_washingto.html
* Northeastern University professor Walter Carl unveiled new research demonstrating the importance of disclosure in WOM campaigns.
http://womma.org/pages/2006/01/research_new_re.htm
* Several new WOM companies officially launched and several high-profile industry players used the conference to announce their new jobs.
http://womma.org/pages/2006/01/bazaarvoice_hir.htm
http://womma.org/pages/2006/01/influentials_pi.htm
Post-conference coverage
Media coverage was quite intense.
* New York Times -- "At times, the conference could have been mistaken for a religious convention."
http://womma.org/wombat/blog/2006/01/womma_conferenc.html
* Advertising Age -- "WOMMA has brought responsibility and ethics to the oldest marketing channel, just as its renaissance was in danger of being co-opted by those stealth marketers who would deceive the public."
http://womma.org/wombat/blog/2006/01/huge_wombat_sto.html
* Find a huge roundup of links at:
http://womma.org/wombat/wrapup.htm
Remember when hotels used to give out free postcards and stationery? It was an amazing way to get guests to tell their friends all about where they stayed. Other marketers have stepped forward with a modern twist on this proven word of mouth technique. Starbucks, for example, paid to have free postcards included in magazines RedEnvelope.com takes it a step further. The high-end e-tailer will actually send a classy thank you note to the recipient for them to spread the word even further.
More info:
http://www.theredcup.com
http://www.redenvelope.com/thankyou
Procter & Gamble has launched a new service called Vocalpoint that aims to build a network of influential moms. The new program is similar in scope to P&G's other WOM network, Tremor. In exchange for receiving product samples, advance product information and discounts, individual mothers will be asked to share their opinions, fill out surveys, and participate in new product trials. The expectation is that these influential moms will talk about the products with their friends and families.
More info:
http://moms.vocalpoint.com
In their new book "Naked Conversations", Robert Scoble and Shel Israel discuss at length what sets blogging apart form all other media. Originally published on their own blog, they call this list Blogging's Six Pillars.
1. Publishable -- Anyone can blog. It's cheap and every posting goes global.
2. Findable -- Every search engine recognizes blogs, putting them right at the top with other search results.
3. Social -- Blogs enable consumers to share stories, messages, and information with one another. It's inherently social.
4. Viral -- New topics and information spread viral with extraordinary speed.
5. Syndicatable -- New syndication technologies like RSS makes blog content instantly portable.
6. Linkable -- Links weave together unlimited networks of blogs together. One blogger has access to millions of others almost instantly.
More info:
http://redcouch.typepad.com/weblog/2005/05/chapter_2_why_b.html
Job: Fleishman-Hillard (St. Louis, MO) is seeking experienced grassroots professionals for multiple positions out of its St. Louis office. Candidates must have 3-5 years experience in online and/or offline grassroots communication. Online position requires thorough understanding of consumer generated media and its impact on communications and experience in search engine strategy; use of blogs, RSS feeds and podcasts. Interested candidates should send resumes to stljobs@fleishman.com
>> Make a new hire? Have an open WOM, viral, or buzz job opening? E-mail editor@womma.org and let us know!
Cory Treffiletti: Truth in User-Generated Content
Read the full story
1to1: Evangelists -- The Value of Zeal
Read the full story
PR's Second Chance
Read the full story
← January 2006 | Womnibus Home | March 2006 →
This is old content! The Womnibus Blog has been retired. For the new stuff, visit 