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/