Word of mouth: marketers crave it. It’s what extends campaigns above and beyond their basic reach; it’s what clients want agencies to deliver. Compare the Meerkat got it.
A couple of weeks ago I read an article here that sets out a system designed to measure the success of word of mouth on McKinsey’s website, as well as providing analysis on the attributes of word of mouth recommendations. It made me think about what campaigns strive to achieve and how it affects the creative process, so I’ve interpreted the article here and added my thoughts.
(For those who don’t know, McKinsey are a highly respected global management consultancy. They tell companies how to fix their problems and make more money. The thing is – like Fight Club – if you work with them, you can’t mention their name. My point is, these guys are very good at what they do, so if they say something, it’s probably worth listening. )
Key Points
-Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions, which is a monster stat.
-Word of mouth influence is greatest when purchasing a product for the first time, or with expensive items.
-Word of mouth is no longer one –to-one, it’s one-to-many due to the internet. Think Tripadvisor and review sites.
-As consumers are overwhelmed by product choices, they tune out to the ever-growing barrage of traditional marketing: word of mouth cuts through the noise quickly and effectively. That’s where the attraction lies: a brand communication is always taken with a pinch of salt while a word of mouth recommendation is taken far more seriously.
-Word of mouth conversations are more frequently focussed on functional benefits, not emotional brand messages. This makes sense, but it something I’d not considered before. When you recommend something to someone, it’s generally because you value something specific, or disliked something specific. IE “yeah, it’s got really good battery life.” Not, “yeah I really like the brand.” Unless you work in marketing or advertising, where the latter is a daily remark. Also, whilst Apple seem to have managed to achieve the latter “I love the brand” recommendation, their messaging still centre around functionality or usability.
-Trusting the source of a word of mouth message is key. You may have 300 friends on Facebook, but you would only trust 10 of them. This is a massive point and something that is becoming a major problem with online reviews. Reviews are being posted by competitors to bad mouth the brand/product in question. It’s very hard for us to know which reviews are genuine in the online, trust-free context. However, when a trusted friend or family member recommends a product or company, we are far more likely to take them seriously.
-Marketing campaigns that trigger word of mouth have a far higher campaign reach and influence. Obviously.
-There are three types of word of mouth recommendations
Experiential if someone has experienced the product. No surprise. If I try a new bar of chocolate and like it, I’m gonna tell someone in the office. And if it was rubbish, I will tell someone too
Consequential if someone has been exposed to a marketing campaign and passes on the message. This is what marketers are looking for, ie “see the one with the meerkat?”
Intentional if a brand has associated with a celebrity, event or other partnership with the intent of triggering positive word of mouth. This seems to be similar to Consequential from my perspective. Both forms are desired outcomes from the marketer’s standpoint and indeed objectives. IE I like that Pixie Lott phone.
-Experiential sources are most important, and refreshing product experiences for consumers is key. IE the iPhone and the App store. The iPhone is now an old product, but new apps keep coming out given people reason to recommend apps and indirectly the iPhone. A great example of “indirect worth of mouth extension”. This really is very clever when you think about it: it’s the gift that keep on giving! A year after I got my iPhone, I’m still showing people new apps in the pub, which in turn promotes the aesthetic beauty and functionality of the iPhone. From a marketer’s position, it doesn’t get any better. The apps give the marketing team a reason to keep talking to us about new, unexpected features and benefits while the product remains the same.
-The two key attributes that ensure word of mouth takes place are Interactivity and Creativity. What it’s saying is make it a strong, surprising concept and make it experiential.
So, what’s a good application of creativity? The Cadbury’s gorilla ad generated massive word of mouth. I’m sure there’s plenty of articles that analyse its success, but you didn’t expect to see the fake gorilla, Phil Collins and Cadbury’s together. It broke the mould.
Secondly, when thinking about interactivity, consider Red Bull’s strategy: get consumers up close with events that characterise the brand. By doing so, they get consumers interacting with the brand, and they become advocates.
Perhaps these conclusions aren’tsurprises to skilled marketers; we know the power of experiential and we know the power of a good idea, but, there were two big insights for me
Firstly, that the content of word of mouth messages are mostly functional. This is a key point for marketers when striving to get word of mouth started. The message has to be functional.
Secondly, that refreshing the product experience (ie the iPhone app demonstration effect) is key.
Finally, the issue of trusting the source of the message is now a massive issue with the internet being a game changer. While many people are reviewing and recommending stuff, we don’t know what to trust and what not.
While the internet is increasing the impact of word-of-mouth, we need to spend time considering how best to achieve it.
