IF YOU COULD CALCULATE how many words are exchanged daily by this planet’s inhabitants, it would dwarf any similar count done 20 years ago. This worldwide logorrhea is, of course, due to many factors: talk radio, cell phones and, above all, Web messaging. The benefits are dubious, except as they apply to one group, those in the business of advertising, marketing and promoting products, the guys Vance Packard dubbed “The Hidden Persuaders” 50 years ago.
If Packard were still around, he might rename them the Hidden Piggybackers, because an increasing number are having us do their job for them in the form of word-of-mouth advertising (WOM), or viral marketing. The terms refer to exploiting social networks, including YouTube, MySpace and so on, to further product and brand awareness via unsolicited testimonials.
Proponents argue that people tell an average of three others about products they like and 11 about those they dislike. WOM industry studies show that nearly 100 percent of the prized 10-18 age group say they sway their pals’ decisions about clothes and music, and 80 percent say they influence their parents’ decisions on electronics and food. One firm, the Keller Fay Group, even claims to be the first to monitor “marketing-relevant” conversations among Americans (e.g., it found that on any given day, 8 million of us are gabbing about “American Idol,” making it the 17th most talked-about brand, ahead of Nike and Honda).
The WOM industry gathers at the Rio in Las Vegas this November for its third annual “Summit,” where it will also present its awards, the coveted WOMMIES.
More Top Picks Testers Soil