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WOMM Vs. Advertising

Jack Trout Fishes For Marketing Blogger Backlash

March 10, 2006

Posted by Phil.Gomes

Forbes — typically the proponent of maverick business strategies — has followed up their blog hit piece months later by letting the iconic Jack Trout loose on word-of-mouth.

I tend to describe myself as an informed and, I sincerely hope, a constructively enthusiastic voice when placed in a room of Web-2.0-grokking acolytes. With that slightly more sober point of view in mind, I'd still have to say that Mr. Trout goes a little too out of his way to throw cold water on WOM.

Methinks he doth protests too much...

Excerpted, with your humble host's cribnotes in []'s added:

Now for the really bad news. There's no way to control that word-of-mouth. Do I want to give up control [You never had it.] and let consumers take over my campaign? [They're not taking it over; they're participating in it.] No way. [Yes. Way.] They aren't getting paid based on how many widgets get sold. [But they may help you sell more widgets if you listen to them and make what they say actionable.] If I go to all this trouble developing a positioning strategy for my product, I want to see that message delivered. [Fine. And your feedback will be immediate.] Buzz can get your name mentioned but you can't depend on much else. Not too many mouths will do a stand-up commercial about your product vs. its competitor. [Ask Buzz Bruggeman and the enthusiastic fanbase his ActiveWords software has created.] Nor will they check with you in advance on what to say. [Oh, gasp.]

Spoken like a true ad guy.

Don't get me wrong. He has some good points in there (e.g. "It's just another tool in your arsenal"). However, his dismissive reaction reminds me a little too much of the reaction I got from PR folks when I started a blog and started writing about blogging.

Hat tips to Rob Marsh, John Moore, Leslie Jump, and George Silverman.

Technorati Tags:
jack trout, advertising, word of mouth, wom

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posted by Phil.Gomes

WOMM Vs. Advertising

What If

February 2, 2006

Posted by Elizabeth.Lee

An article by Dave Evans at ClickZ caught my eye discussing the TIVO/DVR generation by way of Jamie Kellner’s (Turner Broadcasting) proposition that “ad-skipping consumers violate an implied contract and should expect to pay ‘as much as $250 per year’ in additional fees if they want ad-free TV.”

But who can deny that consumers are at, or quickly nearing, saturation point.

Interruptive communications is out... (Enter stage left, WOMM)

So Evans proposes a “what if” situation: “What if marketers cut ad budgets by 50 percent and lowered the price of their products in return?”

As marketers, we naturally cringe at the thought of cutting budgets. And marketing is clearly important as it’s the sales pitch beyond the store counter. However, if the savings are passed on to the consumer, allowing them to buy more products – and we’re in a new age where the focus is on the consumer’s entire experience with your company – how can we not consider? Evans shares Amazon.com as an example of cutting budgets and reducing shipping.

So if there were less advertising – where else can the company's voice ring true?

A comprehensive, planned WOMM campaign is an investment. However, what fraction is this investment compared to advertising today? And as possibly the counter-curse to consumer life interruptions, seems to me to be an undeniable force at the marketing table.

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posted by Elizabeth.Lee

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.