Hello WOM, Goodbye Blog

Well after weeks of careful research and writing on the word of mouth industry my blog is coming to an end. Although, I thoroughly enjoyed the subject I know I’ll need the extra time to accomplish other schoolwork like a semester project on Easter Island. Perhaps when my schedule opens up I’ll report back periodically.
As my closing post, I thought I’d leave everyone with a solid idea of how big this industry is becoming. Last week, WOMMA held their summit conference. This event was a weeklong series of learning, networking, and growing. One announcement that particularly rocked the scene was made by PQ Media. Their WOM forecast for 2007 was the very first comprehensive look at the industry’s growth and potential. The projection was that $1.35 billion would be spent on WOM this year. This makes it the fastest growing area of marketing services. Then looking ahead to the year 2011 an almost triple growth of $3.7 billion is expected. PQ Media’s president and CEO, Patrick Quinn delivered the message, and it really shook up the summit. Let’s hear for WOM!

http://www.womma.org/blog/2007/11/wom-marketing-industry-worth-1-billion-in-2007-37-billion-by-2011/

What Do A Gorilla And An Underwear Model Have In Common?

I discussed last week how internet videos are on the rise. There are many opportunities to be had from all the video posting and viewing that goes on every day. I discussed way back when the video of Britney Spears spreading virally like wild fire and then some of the other videos that took advantage of the spike in Britney interest to leverage themselves. Well this has happened once again. It also ties into my recent observation of who sex sells. The original viral video is for Cadbury and it was posted on youtube 2 months ago.



Despite a Phil Collins soundtrack and a gorilla suit this video was not very popular. It made its rounds in the buzz of youtube, but basically only confused people. Very little connection and the humor isn’t not very strong. This is where opportunity arises. The spoof is created. Wonderbra took advantage on the fact the Cadbury film was well known, but not enjoyed. They launched their own version this week.



I think this film offers just a bit more connection to the brand than Cadbury’s. However, I can only imagine that it will be more popular due to the sex appeal. In fact, I’m sure a fair share of people who haven’t even seen the Cadbury version will be amused by Wonderbra’s spoof. Sex sells once again.

The Truck Summoner

With the invention of recorded television, commercials began to go down the drain. Nobody wants to watch them. They would rather start a program 15 minutes late, just to ensure they could go from start to finish at their own pace. To avoid this little issue many advertisers have turned to a new method. They reach the viewers where they least expect it… when they aren’t watching television. Instead the ads are posted on the internet at popular sites like youtube. Then the audience actually ends up seeking out these commercials that they have tried to hard to avoid.

My example for this WOM method comes from a Toyota Tacoma commercial shown below. The commercial aired during a football game so there were lots of live watchers. Then they put the ad on youtube. Sure enough, the people who saw the ad had spread the word. In 48 hours the ad had over 1 million hits and numerous postings on other sites and blogs.

There is hope for television advertising after all. The key is just don’t show them on television.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/creative/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003655244
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDRaIx3jj6Q

Facebook Ads

Facebook is the social network of choice for hundreds of millions of individuals. The site that started linking college students has spread to being used by anyone who can click a mouse. Not to mention what used to be a user profile displaying interests and characteristics has turned into a hub for gift giving, music sharing, picture displaying, and just about anything you can imagine.

The great thing about this site is that is strictly social. You’ll rarely be bombarded by ads or anything you don’t want to. Therefore, for advertisers to get piece of the pie they had to work creatively. This week on November 7th Facebook announced they would be linking advertisements to users. They will have to ask permission before any action takes place, but due to the fact that millions of Facebook users have used the site to discuss brands, advertisers are optimistic. An example of how this plan will carry out uses Blockbuster video. A person renting a video will be asked at checkout if they would enjoy having their picture displayed with Blockbuster images online. Companies are also being allowed to make profiles for themselves and become friends of users.

Facebook is calling it social advertising. They believe it is a non- harassing form of advertising and that people will be excited to be associated with the brands they enjoy. My vote goes for yes. I think people will feel like they are getting their 30 seconds of fame when they get their face next to a Conde’ Nast ad. People associate strongly with certain brands. It's another way of saying who we really are.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/technology/07adco.html?n=Top/News/Business/Companies/Facebook,%20Inc.
http://www.womma.org/blog/2007/11/what-facebooks-social-ads-mean-for-wom/

Sex Sells

I’ve discussed movie marketing before a little bit, but I usually like to leave the topic up to my friend Casey and his movie marketing blog. However, I ran across a “promotion” for the new Beowulf movie in my search for buzz and it caught my eye. We have all seen the typical movie trailors that show the best parts and make us want to see them. We’ve seen the hot celebrities rave about their new films and recommend we run out to theaters. We’ve grown accustomed to these tactics. So why not try something new.

I think it’s safe to say Angelina Jolie is one of the top sex symbols of Hollywood today. She has a starring role in this movie, Beowulf, which is probably going to draw in a crowd of its own. But how do you push this star benefit a bit further? Let me quote Angelina in a recent interview, “I was really surprised that I felt exposed. There are certain moments where I actually felt shy. . . I won’t allow my kids to see this movie.” That is quite a statement coming from a woman who wore short, tight leather in “Tomb Raider” and showed her stuff in “Orginial Sin.” Seems like Angelina knows how to work the WOM. At the very least, I’m sure there is a solid population of young boys who will be saying, “We HAVE to see this.”

http://www.buzznet.com/tags/beowulf/journals/1276231/?t=home|hero|jolieshyaboutbeowulf

Digital Comment Power

“Comments” they are an option on just about every site we visit. Some people use them religiously others only do when they have a strong opinion, but the fact of the matter is that these “comments” have become Word Of Mouth. In a digital age, this is something we all need to accept. When you go to rotten tomatoes to seek a review or look at past buyers on Amazon, these are a way of seeking out WOM that doesn’t really come from the mouth. But, best of all for the marketing industry this word of mouth stays frozen in time. It gets put into the archives and put on display for all to see. This is revolutionary.

The article I reviewed came from my most trusted site, WOMMA. They say that 65% of people actively seek out consumer reviews before buying a product. This information is according to the study "Social Shopping Study 2007," which will be released by PowerReviews on Nov. 12. Furthermore, 78% of people spend more than ten minutes scoping out what other people have to say and “86% of them say reviews are "extremely" or "very" important”.

This is why WOM is becoming a harnessed category in marketing. There are emerging opportunities that are making this possibility more manageable and measurable.

http://www.womma.org/blog/2007/11/65-of-consumers-actively-seek-customer-product-reviews/

Colbert for President

Every TV show has a group of people who stand behind and watch it whenever they can. This is the case with the Colbert Report. Particularly, this show has a very loyal base because many people use it as an alternative news outlet. These individuals feel they can relate with Steven Colbert much better than straight faced news reporters. However, the audience who prefers the traditional news broadcast will most likely be less apt to tune into Colbert also. So how did the comical Colbert go about getting these stubborn non-viewers to give him a look? He announced that he would be running for president.



The New York Times political blog, The Caucus, reported in a October 17th post how Colbert had taken all the proper steps to actually carry out this announcement. However, in the context of this blog, those details aren’t the focus. The real thing I noticed is that Colbert said something (and he says a lot of stuff) and it’s now a big deal. It’s going to draw in some people that wouldn’t normally give him a glance. The power of words.

http://www.indecision2008.com/?sicontent=0&sicreative=963358480&siclientid=1838&sitrackingid=13360850&gclid=CLiRh7bRv48CFShsGgodC0TEJA
http://www.colbertocrat.com/

Travel Industry Focuses on User Generated Content

I found an article reviewing the EyeForTravel’s Travel Distribution Summit North America. One of the conference’s 2008 projections is that word of mouth will be key to the travel industry in the future. This caught my eye particularly because I will be doing a project this semester that markets for Easter Island. Therefore, any and all travel industry happenings are notable to me.

The platform for growing word of mouth in this industry will be through electronic conversations or user generated content, such as social network connections on programs like facebook and also by individuals relaying feedback by leaving comments on sites like blogs or company websites. Trends show people trust this form of communication much more than advertising messages given to them.

Many companies are trying to expand on this trust by creating an online presence. Also, travel sites that are based on user generated content that weren’t initially successful are beginning to take off due to the growing market. Sam Shank, the vice president, General Manager of travelpost.com, sidestep discussed his companies past, present, and future endeavors, "SideStep has several popular Facebook applications that combine travel planning and advice tools with the Facebook social graph. Our goal with these applications is to introduce a whole new audience to the SideStep brand and services."
Keep a look out for an Easter Island facebook group in the near future. My group and I will be starting one up in order to get some user generated content flowing about what people think about it as a travel destination.

http://www.eyefortravel.com/index.asp?news=58122
http://www.womma.org/blog/2007/10/word-of-mouth-and-viral-marketing-definition-faceoff/

Spirit Airlines

After my professor reviewed my post on exceptional customer service from Zappos, she tipped me off to a story that is of a complete opposite nature. Word of mouth works both ways. The culprit at hand was Spirit Airlines. Now, this entire conversation has stemmed from a blog post (just as with Zappos) and it has gotten just as much coverage and talk as Zappos. However the “spirit” of the conversations is quite different. The writer of the blog said to please not comment on his blog without proper knowledge of the situation at hand. Therefore, I’m taking this into account as I write a post for my own blog and will try not to be too critical.

It all began with Alex Rudloff having a very bad experience with Spirit Airlines. His personal blog gave a play by play of what happened. You can find the story here. As a result, past complaints have been highlighted. These include awful stories about baggage check-in fees, customer service, and airways club. Not to mention the some 100 comments made on Alex’s blog. These comments are mostly sympathetic ones or exclamations of “Thanks for the warning.” Alex also points us towards an article written by the Orlando Sentinel, which highlights the shocking story of how Jim and Christy Boswell received an email from the Spirit Airlines CEO that was not intended for customer eyes.

The overview of Alex’s experience stressed me out. It sounded terrible. I am typically a person who finds the cheapest flight and buys it. However, at this point Alex has changed my ways and I would change my routine if the outcome turned out to be Spirit Airlines. When I’m traveling it feels like I’m spending enough time organizing and money. To have my flight plans be skewered and asked for additional money to check a bag, basically, would cause me to need a flight straight to the Caribbean.

I feel this is a vital moment to plug-in for a good airline I’ve experienced. I was traveling in Australia last year and I did a lot of my flying via Quantas. Overall my flights were superior to ones I’ve had in the U.S., a lot less hassle and better services. Once, 5 hours before a flight, a Quantas representative called me and said they had overbooked my flight and that if I was willing to take one just 40 minutes later, I could fly first class the whole way home. Don’t have to ask me twice. It was great that they had an incredibly easy and wonderful option already prepared for me when they called. Maybe Spirit Airlines should take a tip or two from the land down under cause right it looks like WOM is dragging them under. Never underestimate the power of an unsatisfied customer.

http://consumerist.com/consumer/opt_out/read-before-you-click-spirit-airlines-signs-you-up-for-club-membership-and-travel-insurance-283968.php
http://stuckonthepalmetto.blogspot.com/2007/03/why-spirit-airlines-sucks.html
http://consumerist.com/consumer/lawsuits/woman-sues-spirit-airlines-in-small-claims-court-and-wins-279202.php
http://www.alexrudloff.com/2007/08/04/do-not-fly-spirit-airlines/
http://www.alexrudloff.com/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-spirit2407aug24,0,6113192.story

Zappos Gives Comfortable Feet And Something To Talk About

Customer service is one of the best ways to get people to talk about your business. Happy customers want to tell people about how happy they are. In fact, I myself just had a late night Dunkin Donuts run because I was completely parched. The man made me my iced coffee then turned around to grab the donuts I had ordered. By the time he turned back around I had drank ¾ of my coffee. He said, “Dude, you need a refill.” And he refilled it free of charge and I just wanted to scream how terrific it was. A refill was exactly what I needed! It’s actions like this that make people feel honored as customers. It was so great that I just wanted to tell somebody, “Just because Dunkin is a giant corporate chain doesn’t mean they can’t have the personal touch!” So anyways, when I came home I ran across this customer service story in my WOMMA newsletter and thought it was too good to pass by. It’s about Zappos.com. The story is so touching it has been covered by some very big blogs including the consumerist.

Zappos.com has a good reputation. They realize that shoes are a hard item to order over the internet because you never know if they are going to fit. You potentially could end up paying twice as much for the shoes due to shipping charges as you attempt to find ones that work. As a solution, the Zappo’s policy is that all customers always get free shipping and handling. Shoes can be sent back and forth 18 times and it’s free for you all the way. Trust me I’ve done it.

This policy makes them a very customer friendly site. However, their nice front doesn’t end at this policy. The company has shown that customer relations is a quality they carry throughout all actions. The story I reviewed oringinally came from her blog found here. This woman ordered many pairs of shoes for her mother hoping at least a pair or two would fit. Her mother passed away and she failed to return the shoes her mother had not wanted within the 15-day window period. Zappos contacted her via email about the return. The woman replied what had happened and that she would get around to it when she could. Zappos replied by saying they would personally send UPS to her house and take care of the shoes so she wouldn’t have to leave the house. Then not too long after this the woman returned home to a beautiful arrangement of flowers from who else but Zappos.

This company went far beyond what could ever be expected of a large, busy business. A quote from the Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh , “Customer service is an investment, not an expense.” I think it’s wonderful that Zappos acts as a real person would and knows that a bouquet of flowers is so much more than just a bouquet of flowers.

http://www.getelastic.com/good-customer-service-still-the-best-word-of-mouth-marketing-strategy/
http://www.zazlamarr.com/blog/
http://multichannelmerchant.com/news/zappos_08072007/

Cellphones Aren't Just For Word-Of-Mouth Marketers Anymore

This Tuesday I attended the Adweek Media Interactive Marketing Virtual Conference and Trade Show. I attempted to watch the live showing of the keynote speaker at 11 a.m. but the quality wasn’t to specs and I couldn’t get much out of the presentation. Therefore, I waiting for the archived versions of the presentations to come out and I watched the one titled “Harnessing the Latest Tech Advancements to Reach.” The topic discussed was about mobile phone advertising. There were three speakers present and they each discussed different aspects that were accompanied by slides.

The first speaker was Brian Morrissey who is the Digital Editor for Mediaweek. He gave a lot of general overviews that set a platform for the other two speakers. This included introducing mobile phone advertising as the most upcoming form of media. People who use their phones for anything more than texting or calls is hoped to grow with incoming generations and developments. Statistics show that not many people trust this form of media advertising and this is a huge issue. However, 89% of major brands say they will be taking the challenge on within the next year. Popular forms of advertising with this media are search engines, video networks, and applications marketing.

The next speaker was Nicholas Covey, the Marketing Analytics and Development Manager for Telephia Research. He displayed a lot of statistics for mobile usage. Mobile video is the fastest growing niche. Areas such as texting are the highest used cell phone features. As far cell phone users, a high percentage finds mobile advertising unacceptable, as a solution to this a slightly large percentage said they wouldn’t mind the advertising as long as they were receiving something in return. A disturbing user statistic was that a very low percentage says they expect to see more ads on their phone. In light of many companies’ intentions, these people are likely to be blindsided. Covey also showed a lot of mobile statistics as they relate to television. Channels like sports, weather, comedy would be popular mobile presences. The shows Deal or No Deal and American Idol were top players in currently advertising via text message.

The final speaker was Kevin Perkins, the CEO of Greenlight for Neilson. He focused on the challenges mobile advertisers currently face and will face in the future. Right now banner and advertising is hardly making any sort of profit. Clear, effective communication must be made if a consumer is going to respond. Guidelines for ads are very restrictive. Advertisers have to be creative in order to work with these measures. In order to get a response ads will need to be easy, use a pull method that lets users initiate contact, and be relevant to what the user wants.

Overall, the presentation was enlightening and ran well. I felt like I gained a fair amount of knowledge. Being in the field of marketing, it always feels good to discover something new and upcoming.

IN RAINBOWS

The release and selling strategy of the latest Radiohead album “In Rainbows” isn’t revolutionary, it has been done before. However, this time around the idea is creating a lot more buzz than previous attempts. Perhaps because this band is a lot more popular. An article by The Times Online that I read actually labeled them as “one of the most popular bands in the world.” With a title like that, anything they do can make a buzz I suppose.
So what did they do? You can visit www.inrainbows.com to see for yourself, but I’ll tell you what it means. In response to free music downloading putting a major slump in the music industry, Radiohead took matters into their own hands. The band is no longer under a record label so they were able to have freedom with the release of In Rainbows. Their solution is to let their fans put a price on the music. Assuming that these people value the talent of Radiohead, they won’t mind paying an amount that they see fit and be ensured it will go directly to the band. You can see on the site that there is the option of buying a disc box for 40 euros or downloading the album for an undetermined price.

The band let the word of the release method spread virally. They had to hope it would fly. During it’s first week of availability it has sold over 1.2 million copies. When you’ve got the name Radiohead, your voice is heard, and also respected as the numbers show.

I think this is a valiant effort on Radiohead’s part. They are walking on unsteady ground, but their popularity allows for them to, so why not give it a shot and see how it goes. A lot of people agree with me and also have some other good input:

“But if successful, In Rainbows could lay down a marker for other established artists to follow, and pose serious questions for the music industry establishment. ” -Stuart Dredge
http://techdigest.tv/2007/10/opinion_radiohe.html

“You can pay whatever you like for the download version. Which on the one hand is forward thinking, anti-capitalist, intelligent, bold and wise but on the other hand is a little smug.” http://jonnyopinion.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/in-rainbows-more-information/

The album itself has gotten mixed reviews. Most people agree it's not their best. But I recommend you listen for yourself, it'll only cost you as much as you want and it's for a good cause.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2602597.ece
www.inrainbows.com

Where Did the Nalgene Come From?

I was searching for some articles about the latest and greatest WOM products when I realized there was one that I have often pondered long before WOM became my twice a week reporting habit, the Nalgene bottle.

Maybe it’s because I hang out with an outdoor oriented crowd or maybe it’s because I live in the EMS/ Birkenstock/ Hiking capital of New York, Ithaca. But just about everyone I know has a Nalgene. I have three. Two small ones, and a large Ithaca College one. We use these containers for everything from working out to shaking cocktails. However, they have NO traditional advertising. No magazine prints, television ads, radio spots, nothing. So where/when/ who/ how did we all come to have Nalgenes? They aren’t that perfect of a container. They don’t keep things cold or hot. They say they’re unbreakable, but that has only set us out to prove that that isn’t true what so ever. The video below shows just how unbreakable they aren’t.



Nalgene has a great website located here. When you search through it the realization of the depth they have taken containers to is pretty crazy. What I thought would be a simple wide mouth or small mouth designed bottle is really a number of options ranging everywhere from flasks to baby sip cups. The site tells about the rise of Nalgenes and how they came to be. They were actually developed by Emanuel Goldberg who lived in Rochester, NY, which really isn’t far from Ithaca. He developed the Nalge company that was later turned into Nalgene by Marsh Hyman who quoted, upon his discovery of Nalgenes, “Spread the word to outdoorspeople all over! Tell them about this new line of high-quality camping equipment.” A true buzz marketer right there. And it looks like he really knew what he was talking about.

BzzAgent

Traditionally word of mouth marketing is an outlet that is hard to measure. Businesses don’t always know who’s doing the talking or how much these people talk. A revolutionary new platform known as BzzAgent is harnessing this phenomenon and helping us find out more about how a buzz evolves.

The company runs on the basic concept of “Bzz Agents.” These are real people who volunteer. Each agent is profiled and put into various target audiences. Therefore, when a company wants a product to reach a certain type of person BzzAgent can fit them up with many potential quality matches. There is no pay because this would be likely to create bias. What agents do get is the first look at new products, services, books, and just about anything else. Then they start spreading the word to everyone around them. The average WOM conversation about a brand lasts roughly 10 minutes. Therefore, the company is looking for outgoing, personable individuals who are enthusiastic about the overall Bzz concept. The agents also report back to home base about what they thought. BzzAgent can then give the scoop back to the product’s company.

I just signed up to be an agent and haven’t heard anything back. My hopes are high though. It would definitely be a quality way to immerse myself in WOM beyond this blog. I’m already spreading word about BzzAgent itself to many people. With that said I think I would be a good candidate.

The Voice Heard Across the Land

Most people listen to their peers for information about products. Sometimes they regard their parents and relatives, or maybe even a respected celebrity as source of information. However, above all these people there has risen one individual that when they speak we listen. Her voice is like a signal of what to buy, what’s cool, good, and popular. It has more product push behind it than a Billy Fuccillo ad. This person is Oprah Winfrey.

Many people have termed the influence of Oprah’s word-of-mouth marketing as the Oprah Effect. Basically it means what she says sells. Everyone has heard of the Oprah Book Club. We’ve come to take this club’s recommendation more seriously than a Nobel Prize winner. It’s become a fact that if a book makes this club, it makes the best seller list. The Book Club has helped some authors get higher up than probably ever would have been considered possible without this recommendation. During 1996 she started the club and had been releasing two books a month. She has begun making her choices more exclusive after the premiering year. In turn, even more hype comes with every book.

It’s not just books that are big with Oprah though. She’s touches on everything. There are tons of Oprah success stories out there. Even for burgers. A prime example of the Oprah Effect is The Counter. This is a small town burger place in Santa Monica, California. It runs on the concept of BYOB, build you own burger. Oprah mentioned the establishment on her show in February of 2006. After this the Counter went from a $40,000 a month business to a $245,000. They now have plans for 60 new locations throughout the country.



People are another area Oprah covers. One researcher for UCLA today wrote about Oprah and other talk show hosts influencing politics. He says "For politically inattentive individuals, watching political coverage in such soft news outlets such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" can make the difference between voting one's convictions and not."

For a marketer or a student of marketing such as myself, the power of Oprah is astonishing. It's almost scary. What some companies spend millions on and I spend years studying, she can in accomplish in two simple words.. Buy This.


http://www.today.ucla.edu/news/061106_oprah-effect/ http://www.slashfood.com/2006/08/30/the-oprah-effect-on-the-counter/ http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/08/oprah/index_01.htm

The Biggest Talker

Just about everyone engages in word of mouth marketing whether they know it or not. Either we trust the word of a friend or extend our knowledge out to someone else. However, there is one specific group of people that take part in this practice much more than anyone else. These are today’s kids.

A study done by MTV and Nickelodean called "Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground" proved what many could have guessed. Kids are more accepting of new technological trends and therefore have more opportunities to interact with more people on a global scale. The most intriguing statistic found that supports this is that 100% of respondents in the study said that they communicate every time they go online. This study involved 18,000 participants between ages 16 to 24 from 16 different countries. That is a lot of communicating going on that would happen if they didn’t have the internet.

This makes kids a very valuable target for marketers. In fact the most groundbreaking conclusion drawn from the study is that these people believe friends are more important than brands. On average kids have 94 numbers in their cell phone, 78 people on their instant messenger buddy list, and 53 friends that they communicate with regularly. These kids don’t necessarily love the technology, but the interaction they are getting out of it. Therefore, marketing within this interaction is much more important than marketing within the technology.













http://www.womma.org/research/011170.php
http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/youth-and-digital-tech-viacom-microsoft-global-study-challenges-assumptions-1076/
http://blogs.mediapost.com/spin/?p=1103

Talking Cars

Staring at a screen all day might rot your eyes out, but it could also save you from buying a clunker. As it turns out, individuals classified as “online gamers” are a valuable source for car advice. The evidence comes from a study done by Ziff Davis and a supporting analysis from ConStat. The findings of their 1UP network automotive study show that gamers are a key contributor to the spreading of car advice via word of mouth. A total of two-thirds said that they had given out car tips in the past six months. Seems like these guys aren’t spending all their time playing games.

So what kind of facts are these gamers dealing out? A large portion, 63%, said they tell about choosing car models and what cars would suit an individual best. Other respondents helped people choose dealerships and gave tips about how much should be paid for certain vehicles.

Although they spend a lot of time at the computer these gamers get around. The study showed 73% of the people owned 2 or more vehicles. Many have American made cars, but aspire for foreign and environmentally sound ones in the future. These people also said they wouldn’t mind paying the extra buck for advanced technologies like mp3 outlets, GPS, and surround sound. Before buying a car the top three websites they recommend visiting are the dealerships website, Kelly Blue Book, and Cars.com.

Given the positive insight from this data getting the low down on cars from gamers is probably worth a shot. However, I wouldn’t recommend venturing on the gaming route yourself. Chances are you won’t be able to drive your new car quite as well with your eyes rotted out.

http://www.womma.org/research/011179.php
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=67120
http://www.ziffdavis.com/press/releases/070830.0.html

No Title=More Talk

1-18-08, Cheese, Clover, Cloverfield, Slusho. These movie titles return a mish mash of mystery relating to the new J.J. Abrams film. A traditional preview makes you want to see the full-length movie. This one was no different, but it gave you no clues as to what it really was. There was no defining dialogue. No clear plot. Then most intriguing of all, no title. The only hint given is a release date. All people could do at this point was talk.

The movie does have a semi-traditional trailer. You can watch it at my buddy Casey’s blog located here. There are also alleged clues throughout the internet that are slowly coming up. One person with a constant insight to clues is Dennis. His blog is the most up to date with the latest hints and insights. He really knows his stuff and can help satisfy 1-18-08 cravings.

One of these clues I found most intriguing was the characters profiles on myspace. These accounts give some possible insight to the movie, but nothing ground moving. They are just people that are seen in the preview and then found on myspace. However, I found this one for Jamie most interesting because she says she is a graduate from Ithaca College, which is where I go. She even graduated out of the same school, Park, as an OCLD major. A lot of the hints relate to Jamie and her boyfriend Teddy. I was trying to keep my excitement low, and keep in mind that this profile is most likely a setup by movie marketers. However, I investigated further by searching her on facebook and I found a pretty promising look alike that I added as a friend. And so my addiction to solving the 1-18-08 mystery begins…

I think 1-18-08 is a brilliant marketing tactic. Word-Of- Mouth at its finest. Everything is a mystery. That is everything but the fact that it looks cool and when you can go actually see it. Not to mention that the first preview came out almost six months before anyone can have any resolution. That’s six months of word spreading, and unresolved mystery festering. That is definitely one way to draw a crowd to opening night.

http://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1060277/
http://www.1-18-08.com/

WOM Flies to New Heights

Going to the airport is a dilemma. It’s important to give an ample amount of time to get from point A to point B. First there is check-in, followed by security, then finding the gate. It doesn’t stop once you’re on the plane though. At your destination a whole new scenario is created when trying to leave the airport. Will there be a cab available? Does my friend know my flight was delayed? Am I going to be late?

The travel planning site Orbitz, has released a plan that will hopefully allow travelers to plan their trip a bit more accurately. The site is called Orbitz Traveler Update. It gives a lot of the same information other travel sites do such as weather, delays, and airport features. However, this site is the first one to have a user generated feature. Travelers at over 40 U.S. airports can use the Orbitz site or a mobile phone to tell others what the current situation is like at their airport. This relays information long before it would typically become available via the airport postings. The Chief Marketing Officer at Orbitz, Randy Wagner, said, in an article posted by Red Herring, "(the idea) sprang from our customer insight that people value information from others in the same situation and our business insight that, at any point in time, Orbitz has thousands of customers moving through major airports and travel destinations.”

The idea is basically like a peer to peer advice line. Topics that are popular include parking garage congestion, taxi cab availability and where to get a good meal. The date and time are labeled on each comment. Therefore, when an airport is selected by a viewer, a tab will present how many recent comments there have been.

The success of this site depends on user enthusiasm. A review by Duncan Riley written four days after the site launch stated that hotspots like O’Hare already had a fair share of postings on them at that point. The video below also previews all the sites features. It was released on YouTube as a promotional tool.



I personally think it is the perfect environment for word of mouth to flourish. You can think of it like the successful dietary supplement Airborne. Users take this because they know being in a close knit situation leads to a lot of exchange between individuals. This fact can be used to the advantage of Orbitz. Imagine one recently satisfied user stuck in a confined space for 3 hours with 150 other people. If that isn’t breeding grounds for a “virus”, I don’t know what is.

http://www.redherring.com/Home/22758
http://www.orbitz.com/
http://updates.orbitz.com/
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/09/06/orbitz-tlc-traveler-update-offers-use-generated-airport-advice/

A Boo that Buzzed

Although the MTV Video Music Awards were almost a week ago, it seems uncanny to not review what had to be the most viral video of the week. The at first shameless, and ultimately shameful, Britney Spears performance made the top of just about every buzz top ten discussed and viewed lists. The star’s attempted “comeback” was considered an utter failure, but somehow that managed to draw in just about as many people as had it been a flying success. Those who did not care to watch the live show were sure to tune in once they heard of the mockery. There are almost 2 million views of the video on the Viral Video Chart, and it is still at the top of Yahoo’s Buzz searches. This is complemented by plenty of blog posts and discussion boards filled with people’s opinions.

However, some people say any publicity is good publicity. People are watching, discussing and debating, even if you can’t find a nice word about her out there. Being in the news is better than being out, right?

Theoretically it’s not all bad though. After all, the next buzz video that immediately followed the botched Britney act was Chris Crocker in a mass of hysterics fighting for Britney to be left alone. Although I don’t think Britney’s looking for this sort of support, in essence it was support. After three days it is the eighth most discussed video of all time on youtube chart.

Don’t think that the Britney themed videos will end with Chris though. The latest developments are spoofs about a hysterical Chris. “Leave Chris Alone” some plead. However, even in these spin-off videos Spears is at the root of their creation. The sound of her comeback may have sounded like boo, but nobody can say that it wasn't a buzz.

http://youtube.com/browse?s=md&t=a&c=0&l=
http://www.viralvideochart.com/video_search?q=britney
http://buzz.yahoo.com/overall/

Spreading the Word

The focus of many of my blog posts will be word-of-mouth, buzz, or viral marketing, whichever you prefer to call it. Therefore, for my first discussion within this category, who better to talk about than an organization that is dedicated to the subject? I spent some time reading over the Word of Mouth Marketing Association website found at www.womma.com. This venture helped me gain a lot of basic knowledge on the topic. It also explained what the organization does and why an organization is needed for such a topic.

One line I picked out of the whole site that really stuck out was "Word of mouth is a pre-existing phenomenon that marketers are only now learning how to harness, amplify, and improve". I think the concept that it is a pre-existing phenomenon is what pulled me into this style of marketing. People are going to talk no matter what. Then, considering people's tendency to avoid marketing, it is amazing that their everyday conversation and opinions are actually segmented into a style of marketing.

Three men who were all prominent in marketing developed WOMMA. They were at the forefront of word of mouth marketing and realized the vitality of the concept. Today WOMMA is made up of many businesses that are all dedicated to creating a positive buzz amongst consumers. There are some very noteworthy names found on the list including, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Coca-Cola. Any organization can become a member. There are different levels of involvement. Some take part in governing, while others simply support the development of WOM. All members have access and are invited to take part in the WOMMA world. The corporation holds many conferences that bring members together physically, as well weekly teleconferences. There is also numerous blogs that are hosted by the company, which members often post the latest "buzz" on.

I think the creation of WOMMA was an innovative idea. The word of mouth still has so much room for development. It really is a very special type of marketing that can learn to "harness" the everyday communications between consumers. I just have one question. Why did it take so long for someone to tell me about WOMMA?



www.womma.com

Target Audience Articles

“Targeting Young Males” by T. Miller

The worry surrounding marketing to young men is that they tend to be glued to the TV only if they are playing a video game and then spending the rest of their time averting marketing tactics. A recent Neilsen Entertainment study returned that 18-34 have actually decreased their television watching habits, but 8-17 year olds have been unaffected by the video game craze. So why not stick to video game marketing? The example in the articles is that you can’t have a character in “Rome: Total War” sipping coke. Males will be insulted at the blatant product placement. However, the market does say that if the product fits the game they enjoy having it added.

In an effort to prove males aren’t unreachable, both Scion and Axe gave case study examples of how they successfully broke out and marketed to this hard to reach market. Scion tried to meet the men where they were and stationed themselves in front of music/game stores in male dominated cities. They gave out merchandise along with no obligation test drives. They combined this will traditional marketing in clubs, television, and with dj sponsors to return an 80% success rate. That is, 80% of people who bought the new scion were males whom did not previously own a Toyota. Similarly, AXE applied grassroots marketing through market research and succeeded in selling the first $100 million faster than any other retail product in history.

“Portrait of a New Media Consumer” by Peter Lauria

What is the new consumer? This article states that it isn’t the consumer that has changed, but only their rate of efficiency. Welcome the media saturated consumer. A study by Communications Industry Forecast from Veronis Suhler Stevenson showed that we now spend more time with media than any other daily activity. In fact, most people age 18-65 are so adjusted to it that they were unaware of their depth of exposure. This never-ending surge of new gadgets is attributed to business needs to mature and meet Wall Street earning demands. In turn, this intense competition births new media at a rate only the finest can keep up with.

As we all know advertising is taking a toll as a result of items such as Digital TV and downloaded programs. The consumer has taken control and can now create their own specialized media world that give only the messages they want, when they want them. However, research done by NBC does suggest one loophole for this media infestation. Although vast amounts of media are available the average person (75%) are overwhelmed by it. To apply this research they suggest that marketers strive to “lead” the consumer, not accost them when they get there. Examples would be the wild success youtube, myspace, and google in the media world.

Marketing Edge Podcast

I recently listened to a podcast by Albert Maruggi, The man is very educated in the subject of marketing and his podcast has gained a lot of recognition. He said he’s been in the business about 25 years and this podcast is celebrating its 4th year anniversary. The site has gained a lot of recognition including acknowledgements as one of the best business podcasts by Small Business Trends Radio.

To celebrate their success, and this particular honor by Small Business Trends Radio, Maruggi went on to summarize the top ten things he believes are important for a small business. The information he provided was basic to a point, but very credible considering his background. He also mentioned a lot about the benefits of podcasts and blogging to businesses. I agree with just about everything he said about these subjects. Podcasts provide an audio appeal. They also help give a company support and relevance as people search for supporting information. Using podcasts along with blogging can provide regularity to an audience. It presents constantly updated information that the consumer can rely on.

The only glitch I see in the path of podcasting and blogging is that there are many smaller, uneducated companies that have yet to make the transition into the online age. It is clear to me, as one who grew up during the rise of online activity, that the podcast, Marketing Edge, is really a cutting edge group. Few businesses have a strong online standing, let alone a four year old, award worthy podcast. Therefore, the information Maruggi is delivering is definitely valuable, interesting, and a great change of pace from traditional methods, but it still is not reaching as many corporate ears as it potentially could.