At WOMBAT 2 Marketers Will Learn How to Get You to Do Their Jobs
Why should you attend the upcoming Word of Mouth Basic Training 2 Conference in San Francisco this Tuesday and Wednesday? For one thing, boasts the WOMMA Web site: “Word of mouth marketing is rapidly becoming a core part of the marketing mix. It's amazingly powerful - and it's easy to make mistakes…. Smart marketers have always known that word of mouth marketing is the secret weapon of the greatest companies. Satisfied customers telling their friends are your most powerful advocates.”
The reality is that the “greatest companies” actually developed products that were worthy of attention from consumers. Though I don’t know much about the histories of what many consider to be great ones – the Fords or IBMs or Cokes of the world, for instance- something tells me those companies or other “great companies” (read: highly profitable and enduring) certainly didn’t make WOM a “core part of the marketing mix.” There were no executive creative directors of buzz marketing, directors of word of mouth marketing, or directors of guerrilla marketing or any other execs on staff dedicated to getting people to market their products for them. They made – or make – solid products that people rely on and built brands that people trust based on the quality of their goods and services.
A lot of them like to throw around B.S. about “being remarkable,” a Seth Godin-inspired phrase from his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. They say honest-to-goodness WOM will only happen if you’ve got a “remarkable” product that compels people to want to talk about it. The question is, if you do have a great product that organically inspires WOM, why do you need somebody on staff to spur it on?
Why is there a need to go to a conference to learn how to harness offline word of mouth, or turn customers into advocates by “motivating them to promote your products? What are the implications of turning loyal customers into “a volunteer sales force through face-to-face evangelism and online via social media”? Or better yet, why would consumers want to talk up brands like Clorox, Hefty Serve 'n Store or Pedigree Dog Food anyway? (WOMBAT 2’s “How-To” sessions focus on all these objectives).
It’s true that the media landscape has shifted drastically since the good ol’ days of radio drama sponsorships and advertising on the big three TV networks. So, marketers are scrambling to find new venues to promote their wares. That’s where this growing industry comes in. We, they hope, will become those new venues, or as I write in SPSI and II, their “brand vessels."
I agree there’s nothing wrong with people naturally mentioning products in their daily interactions, and I think organizations promoting ideas affecting politics, society and culture can benefit from helping the grassroots and so-called netroots disseminate those messages. As for people participating in orchestrated marketing efforts intended to push products that have little if any real impact on our lives, however, I don’t get it. This SPSII excerpt explains why:
I’ve been accused of projecting my values onto people who willing engage in WOM campaigns, and I’ll wholeheartedly admit that to be the case. But to me, that’s an inherent component of opinionated commentary.
There will be tons o’ bloggin’ done from the conference in SF. Though I attended the first conference earlier this year in Orlando, I won’t be at this one (and I doubt I’ll ever be let into another to be honest). Still, I’m interested to see what comes out of this one….
The reality is that the “greatest companies” actually developed products that were worthy of attention from consumers. Though I don’t know much about the histories of what many consider to be great ones – the Fords or IBMs or Cokes of the world, for instance- something tells me those companies or other “great companies” (read: highly profitable and enduring) certainly didn’t make WOM a “core part of the marketing mix.” There were no executive creative directors of buzz marketing, directors of word of mouth marketing, or directors of guerrilla marketing or any other execs on staff dedicated to getting people to market their products for them. They made – or make – solid products that people rely on and built brands that people trust based on the quality of their goods and services.
A lot of them like to throw around B.S. about “being remarkable,” a Seth Godin-inspired phrase from his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. They say honest-to-goodness WOM will only happen if you’ve got a “remarkable” product that compels people to want to talk about it. The question is, if you do have a great product that organically inspires WOM, why do you need somebody on staff to spur it on?
Why is there a need to go to a conference to learn how to harness offline word of mouth, or turn customers into advocates by “motivating them to promote your products? What are the implications of turning loyal customers into “a volunteer sales force through face-to-face evangelism and online via social media”? Or better yet, why would consumers want to talk up brands like Clorox, Hefty Serve 'n Store or Pedigree Dog Food anyway? (WOMBAT 2’s “How-To” sessions focus on all these objectives).
It’s true that the media landscape has shifted drastically since the good ol’ days of radio drama sponsorships and advertising on the big three TV networks. So, marketers are scrambling to find new venues to promote their wares. That’s where this growing industry comes in. We, they hope, will become those new venues, or as I write in SPSI and II, their “brand vessels."
I agree there’s nothing wrong with people naturally mentioning products in their daily interactions, and I think organizations promoting ideas affecting politics, society and culture can benefit from helping the grassroots and so-called netroots disseminate those messages. As for people participating in orchestrated marketing efforts intended to push products that have little if any real impact on our lives, however, I don’t get it. This SPSII excerpt explains why:
Sure, brand name products play a role in our daily lives, but most are not integral to our existence. Even now that brand marketers supposedly have granted us this magical power to define their brands, that doesn’t mean their brands have to define us. Empty lives and vacant personalities long to be filled with something, and marketers are more than happy to supply the stuffing.
Call me crazy, but I don’t want to talk about brands and products all the time, and I don’t want my friends to, either. I don’t want my emails or my blog to be cluttered with links to the latest gadget or designer handbag or homemade video dedicated to the greatness of Crest White Strips. I don’t want my head to be clogged with what some “director of online community engagement” thinks I should know about his advertiser client’s hair conditioner. I’d rather think about things that are actually relevant to my life outside of what I can buy.
I’ve been accused of projecting my values onto people who willing engage in WOM campaigns, and I’ll wholeheartedly admit that to be the case. But to me, that’s an inherent component of opinionated commentary.
There will be tons o’ bloggin’ done from the conference in SF. Though I attended the first conference earlier this year in Orlando, I won’t be at this one (and I doubt I’ll ever be let into another to be honest). Still, I’m interested to see what comes out of this one….
posted by Kate Kaye at 6:26 PM
3 Comments:
Kate Kaye, sigh. I fall in love with you simply by the power of your words. So few people understand and see how our country is being bought and sold right under their feet.
You are a wonderful woman, writing about these atrocities sweeping our mental landscape. Every bit we do to get our word out is important.
I am writing a novel about a future where every aspect of our society is commericalized, and I will include you in the acknowledgements.
Regards,
Samuel L. Bronkowitz
trial comment
Kate,
Plenty of people want to talk about products that make life easier, are durable or are just flat out cool. I started my presentation at WOMBAT 2 about Hefty Serve 'n Store (a link to my presentation would have been nice :P ) by explaining to the audience that no amount of marketing or budget can save a bad product; this includes WOM.
Companies like Saturn do (did?) it "right" -- they understand people love their products and include them as part of the brand and company. They used to invite people down to their Tennessee plant for a picnic. Surely there's nothing wrong with that.
Call it word of mouth. Call it customer service. Call it embracing your consumers. The bottom line is that companies that want to open their arms to enthusiasts should be applauded. And vice versa.
On almost a daily basis people tell other people about the products, bands, services, you name it, that they love. Good word of mouth supports this.
Now, there are a lot of bad WOM campaigns out there that support your argument. But there are a lot of us out there trying to push for the aforementioned customer appreciation model as well.
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