Word-of-Mouth Most Valuable Ad Platform
Posted by Universal Ad at Tuesday, November 06, 2007 1:15 AM and is filed under Advertising,Consumers,word-of-mouth 
Several publications including the International Herald Tribune, MediaPost and RetailWire covered the latest Nielsen research showing that "Despite a cacophony of advertising vehicles vying for consumers'
attention, word-of-mouth remains the most highly trusted among
consumers worldwide". Additionally, among U.S. consumers, the word most closely associated with advertising is "false." Obviously, the "advertising industry has to do better work, and it has to do a
better job at communicating the value it brings to consumers."
In total, 78% of respondents worldwide said they trusted recommendations from consumers, although this varied by region. For example, Europeans in general were least trustful. Traditional advertising channels continue to retain consumers' trust - following WOM on the trust list were newspapers, online consumer opinions, brand website and TV. At the bottom of the list were new digital platforms, including mobile text ads, online banners and search engine ads.
All in all, "the recommendation of someone else remains the most trusted source of information when consumers decide which products and services to buy. Furthermore, given that nothing travels faster than bad news - with estimates that reports of bad experiences outnumber good service reports by as many as 5:1 - the importance of responsive, high quality customer service is yet again highlighted."
Promo Magazine reports on a related presentation from the DMA conference, which posited that "rather than thinking of word of mouth as just a low-cost channel, advertisers need to listen to what consumers are already saying and to build a foundation for a solid WOM program.”
Posted by Universal Ad
In total, 78% of respondents worldwide said they trusted recommendations from consumers, although this varied by region. For example, Europeans in general were least trustful. Traditional advertising channels continue to retain consumers' trust - following WOM on the trust list were newspapers, online consumer opinions, brand website and TV. At the bottom of the list were new digital platforms, including mobile text ads, online banners and search engine ads.
All in all, "the recommendation of someone else remains the most trusted source of information when consumers decide which products and services to buy. Furthermore, given that nothing travels faster than bad news - with estimates that reports of bad experiences outnumber good service reports by as many as 5:1 - the importance of responsive, high quality customer service is yet again highlighted."
Promo Magazine reports on a related presentation from the DMA conference, which posited that "rather than thinking of word of mouth as just a low-cost channel, advertisers need to listen to what consumers are already saying and to build a foundation for a solid WOM program.”
Monitor the dialogs already taking place online but not just blog content, they "should try to reach user comments in a number of places, including forums and bulletin boards" and remember to "distinguish between connected and disconnected online social networks."
Take into account the fact that as many as 55% of the online audience may be either “spectators” or “inactives” and that although they may not currently be interested in engaging with a brand because of viral marketing, that doesn’t rule out their participation at a later date.
Make sure the content in your viral campaign—including blog posts or reviews you induce—can be found through search engines and design URLs with viral linking in mind (i.e., keep them short).
Posted by Universal Ad
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