Reaching Consumers at Work Could Be Next Great Frontier†

New Study Says 93% of Americans Consult Colleagues Before Buying

Advertising Age, November 3, 2008 — Before they make a purchase, 93% of Americans consult their co-workers for advice, according to a new study from Big Research on socializing in the workplace.

The study from the independent consumer-research firm was conducted via WorkPlace Media's "proprietary permission-based network" of over 920,000 U.S. companies across a variety of industries. WorkPlace is a media company that helps brands reach consumers at work.

Study: Coke Is Most Talked About Brand in America†

Brandweek, October 23, 2008 — According to a new study released by the Keller Fay Group, Coca-Cola is currently the most talked about brand in America. The ranking was drawn from 25,142 consumer conversations conducted between January and August 2008.

Its chief cola rival, Pepsi, came in fourth place, right behind AT&T (2) and Verizon (3). The findings come from Keller Fay Group's TalkTrack analysis, which examines word-of-mouth conversations held both on and offline. This is the first time the data has been broken down as such.

While technology, telecommunications and automotive dominated the top 20, packaged goods and retail companies accounted for 32% of all word-of-mouth conversations.

Affluent Women Dramatically ‘Multiply’ Major Purchases with Word-of-Mouth

Marketing Charts, October 22, 2008 — A new subset of affluent women dubbed “Marketing Multipliers” spends twice as much as other affluent women on consumer electronics and fashion, and uses dramatically more online and offline word-of-mouth to drive increased purchases, according to a study from the New York Times Company.

Based on qualitative interviews and a survey of more than 3,000 women with household incomes of at least $100K, the research identifies a combination of extensive social networks, past recommending behavior and personality traits that differentiate influential Marketing Multipliers from other affluent women.

“In a time of tight marketing budgets and an increased focus on return, this study provides advertisers a much better understanding of consumers who are... continue reading

Study: How Profitable Is Word-of-Mouth?†

Brandweek, October 10, 2008 — If a conversation costs 50 cents to generate, how much profit do marketers reap from the typical eight minutes a consumer spends talking about their favorite brands?

According to BzzAgent, a word-of-mouth marketing agency in Boston, that profit is 38 cents. The firm has pegged this amount as the "communication dividend" in a report titled Calculating Your Communication Dividend, which examines the value of word-of-mouth conversations.

In its latest report, BzzAgent also found 87 cents to be the value per communication. The firm arrived at both numbers by mapping standard word-of-mouth calculations onto consumer recommendation and purchase behavior.

General Mills, Kraft Launch Word of Mouth Networks†

Brandweek, October 5, 2008 — Recognizing that a consumer's two cents are well worth their dollars, General Mills and Kraft have both launched new word-of-mouth networks.

For General Mills, it is "Pssst . . . ," an online network that gives members the scoop on the latest product news and offerings. The site, pssst.generalmills.com, currently has 100,000 members after a quiet launch last month.

Pssst uses an initial survey to help gauge product preferences. Once registered, users can voice their opinions via blog posts, share online coupon offers and recipes, and test new sample kits via the mail.

Kraft, meanwhile, kicked off Kraftfirsttaste.com last week, which lets consumers share the newest coupon and sampling offers, but also includes features such as a member spotlight, product... continue reading