When a person finds value in a brand they are inspired to tell others. And because that brand buzz is authentic (not profit-driven), others trust their opinion--and might just buy the brand, too. That is how WOM works. And how it's always worked.

While that headline might seem tongue-and-cheeky (or just plain cheesy), you'd be amazed how many times I need to explain this very basic, altogether core notion of WOM to prospects, clients, colleagues and friends.

Or, you might not be amazed. You, too, might have explained it zillions of times over.

I did not learn this WOM logic in business school. Or in the blogosphere. I learned it in life. Because I, too, express authentic recommendations (WOM) all the time. Sometimes I do it to a person's face (just did it on the subway an hour ago regarding a restaurant), sometimes I do so when I'm addressing an audience (be it on a panel at a conference, or to a classroom of students). And other times I've done it here on the blog...through comments on other blogs...or on Twitter.

Oh, I do it over email a lot. And assuredly, I've done so over the phone quite a bit, too.

The same rule also applies if a person does not find delight--but disgust--in a brand (be that brand a product, service,  place,  person, experience, or idea). They also tell others; it's just that their message is "don't try it!" vs. "definitely buy it!"

I've done that too across the aforementioned communications channels.

Ergo, it is the job of marketers to (1) develop and maintain unique brands that are high in value (so as to delight and encourage positive WOM) + (2) devise clever ways to spread awareness/interest/desire about those brands (so that more people can learn, try and recommend those products to others) + (3) listen to the feedback on their brands and the brands that compete with them for market share so as to improve their current brands, or create entirely new ones. Or both.

And this has always been their jobs. It's just that we now have a new medium (or set of social media) that makes WOM easier and increases it to a global footprint. This new medium also enables us to listen to authentic feedback. So we no longer have to rely just on surveys, industry reports and focus groups.

That's it. I just needed a post I could point people to from now on as I'm sounding like a broken record...and this marketer needs to streamline ;-).

PS: One more thing--when brand marketers try to trick the system with less than authentic buzz they are usually outed. And that gets oh so messy and spreads negative WOM. It's also a surefire way to ditch trust (and while not 'tangible,' trust is absolutely an asset). They should instead focus on creating brands that are worthy of buzz in the first place. OK, that's really it.

Comments

[Amadou M. Sall]

CK, you're awesome: in all my (long) life, I've never seen WOM explained so clearly! You're an amazing teacher.