« Have We Broken the Limits of Human Possibility? | HomePage | Regaining Control »

WOM - Word of Mouth Marketing

03/23/2006

I accidentally seem to have stumbled into WOM circles on the web, either that, or everyone has just started talking about it. I find the subject fascinating for the moment, because on the one hand, it's a consumers dream and plants marketing right in their hands, on the other hand it has been used to deny power to consumers and trick them even more than before. So this article explores the bad side, the side that's not really word of mouth marketing at all, but something I'm not sure of the term for, 'stealth marketing' 'vile marketing'? anyhoo, interesting experts:

 

  •  Among the more controversial are campaigns like one in which New York City advertising agency Interference Inc. hired dozens of models to pose as tourists at popular destinations across the country. Their goal: Demonstrate a new Sony Ericsson camera cell phone by getting real tourists to take their pictures with it.
  • Among the agencies named in the complaint is Tremor, the word-of-mouth marketing division of Procter & Gamble. The unit uses about 250,000 teen volunteers to spread the word about new products in exchange for getting an early look at them.
  • Interference Chief Executive Sam Ewen also has put people on subways to brag about financial advisers, and once sent models into bars to sit with packs of cigarettes in front of them -- waiting for someone to bum a smoke. Such campaigns are a small piece of his business, but Ewen isn't ashamed of bending the truth a bit.

Like all these despicable ways to make us as powerless as possible, the lovely people behind them go straight for the most vulnerable members of society, our kids. They target the 'coolest kids in their peer groups' and flaunt the need for other children to fit in.

On the good side, the real WOM, I've written a post at Decisive Flow. This is the sort that means you have t really impress your customer by providing exceptional service, then they will talk about it. That's like the ideal world I'm told will never happen. No need for advertising, your product succeeds on the happiness of your customers. 

09:03 Posted in consumerism | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this

Comments

Good posting. I had not thought of WOM in that negative way. I have run a business for 25 years and WOM is by far the best way of promotion. Graffiti

Posted by: graffiti | 03/23/2006

Hey Graffiti,
Yeah word of mouth is fantastic, when it's honest. Our customer base grows the strongest through our current customers passing our names on to friends and business collegues - it's excellent and a good monitor on the service you're providing.
I just need to show the 'side' of WOM that companies have taken and twisted into another form of trickery - because the trend is growing :)

Posted by: Natalie Ferguson | 04/08/2006

I can imagine with the 'life' that you have in your business there is a good deal of positive WOM. It never ceases to amaze me that the energy in one's business is a mirror reflection of the energy of the head(s) of that business. Graffiti

Posted by: Graffiti | 04/16/2006

Post a comment