Word of Mouth Marketing SmartBrief

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December 24, 2012

Word of Mouth and social media marketing news

Everybody's Talking About ...

Meet the buzziest TV characters of 2012
TV fans who talk about their favorite shows using social media tend to focus more on the characters in those shows than the actors who play them. Social media monitor Trendrr tracked which TV characters generated the most social buzz in 2012. The most talked-about cartoon character of 2012 was SpongeBob SquarePants, while Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass was by far the most buzzed-about villain. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (12/20)

WOMM at Work

Red Bull's WOMM strategy keeps fans talking
Red Bull has added new flavors to its product line to keep up with competitors -- but its central marketing strategy is sponsoring groups of people who do challenging activities that embody the company's brand and build word-of-mouth marketing, David Aaker writes. Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking Oct. 14 dive from the "Red Bull Stratos" balloon, as well as the Red Bull "Flugtags" that showcase homemade flying machines around the world, are ways that Red Bull "has created a large set of relatively inexpensive sponsorships that ... have a cumulative impact," he explains. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (12/21)

WOMM drives most popular titles in N.Y. bookstore
The titles leaving the shelves fastest at The Village Bookstore in Mount Pleasant, N.Y., aren't related to the holidays or even to published reviews -- they're the ones customers talk about the most, employee Yvonne van Cort said. She said the current most popular books include Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," William Manchester's "The Last Lion" and Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl." "I think a lot of reasons why certain books are more popular than others is from word-of-mouth. People hear from friends and people around town that a certain book is good and you want to go read it," she said. DailyVoice.com/Mount Pleasant, N.Y. (12/21)

Small U.K. salon celebrates 25th anniversary and WOMM success
When Sally Akehurst threw a party for the 25th anniversary of the Sally Ann Hair Salon in Tonbridge, U.K., 75 regular clients came to celebrate with her. Akehurst attributes the store's ongoing success to a strong staff with little turnover, an "older clientele" who tend to come frequently for haircuts, and lots of recommendations from friends. "We've never advertised in all the 25 years; it's just word-of-mouth -- so that's pretty good," Akehurst said. ThisIsKent.co.uk (U.K.) (12/21)

Building Blocks of Buzz

3 tips for strong social strategies in 2013
Although social media is now a well-established discipline of the marketing field, that doesn't mean it's easy, Blugrapes founder Ryan Lim writes. Start 2013 with solid social practices such as hiring employees with formal social media training or clear track records, figuring out which social platforms are most relevant to your customers, and backing away from open advertising and promotions on social channels, he argues. "Brands should focus their efforts towards having meaningful conversations and engagements as their staple. This is the right way towards building brand love," he writes. Marketing-Interactive.com (Singapore) (12/21)

Post videos, then practice some patience
Web marketers can get plenty of mileage out of online video campaigns, but they need to commit, writes CJ Bruce. Unrealistic expectations of quick results and viral buzz seldom lead to success. "Putting up a single video and waiting for the revenue to start rolling in isn't a content strategy," he adds. Intuit Small Business Blog (12/20)

Words from WOMMA

Happy Holidays from WOMMA
Thank you for an incredible and record-breaking year! Because of you (our wonderful advocates and WOMMA members), amazing things happened in 2012, and just in case you missed any of it, here are a few highlights from WOMMA.

Learn more about WOMMA ->

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