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WOMMA 2006

Some Basics from "Basic Training"

January 23, 2006

Posted by Elizabeth.Lee

What I really appreciated about the WOMMA conference was hearing WOM's passionistas rein in the hype around this "new thing" called word-of-mouth marketing. Everyone’s taking notice -- that eternal search for the latest and greatest. But wait, WOM.... new? Clearly not.

Then why is WOMM so hot right now? Well who would’ve thought that you’d be on the receiving end of my WOM on WOMM and WOMMA today? Precisely. The “word on the street” no longer needs to hit the pavement with much force to gain momentum and power.

So people are talking and people trust WOM... but what are they saying about your business? Who’s getting the positive WOM action? Well keynotes from Don Peppers and Fred Reichheld struck me with a few takeaways.

Peppers discussed an overall shortage of paying customers -- not capital. He addressed a need to strengthen customer lifetime value (CLV) and how companies increasing “Return on Customer” share a key quality – they are trusted by their customers. Reichheld discussed how loyalty’s the surprisingly simple common denominator for business success. He proposed the idea of “bad profits” -- profits that come at the expense of customer irritation (think large switching costs for flights among airlines) and how customer resentment damages longer-term growth. It makes sense. But how many companies can really say that the Golden Rule is core to their value proposition?

So what else gets passed along? Well we all know the outrageous, irreverent, and humorous get their share of WOM. Bob Mankoff (cartoon editor of The New Yorker's Cartoon Book) gave an entertaining presentation showing the relevant connection points that humor can facilitate. John Moore (Brand Autopsy) also addressed this type of buzz and the relative longer-term value of a blip on the WOM radar (e.g., a Super Bowl commercial) versus lasting WOM (e.g., outstanding product/service). One might easily assume the latter as the better option -- invest in the product/service itself to stimulate intrinsic WOM. However, not everyone can be at the top of their category. Is the WOMM piece’s remark-ability in and of itself so bad?

Speaking of... Have any of you out there experienced the latest in behavioral targeting -- an experiential piece of marketing at the urinal? Yes, HAUB (Heat Activated Urinal Billboards) has arrived. And if hyper-color porcelain isn’t quite right for you, how about a little strobing and talking with the Wizmark?

posted by Elizabeth.Lee

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What's Talkshop

TalkShop is a blog about word-of-mouth and the Me2 Revolution, published by Edelman and hosted by Phil Gomes, the company's Senior Counsel, Online Communications. This blog pulls in thoughts and opinions from members of the worldwide Edelman network.