WOM Knowledge Nugget

From Hugh MacLeod's twitter missives, I read something that the marketer in you should also read. Word of Mouth isn't created by marketers, it is co-created with consumers. Right on Hugh, right on.

Comments

[BIG Kahuna]

Yup and what's in it for the customer? It's the way they FEEL that makes them spread the word. And that my friend is good branding.

Just my thoughts as a branding guy.

[DUST!N]

Agreed.

Although, all good advertising should have this element as well.

People will only listen to your message if there's something in it for them.

Good nugget johnmoore. Thanks for pointing us to it.

[gabriel c.]

I love the fact that he's emphasizing "co-created". Its amazing how few marketers get the idea of collaborating with the consumer, and are instead stuck in the 'bombard with my message' mindset.

[Bill Gammell]

It sort of reminds me of Evolutionist WOM vs. Creationist WOM :)

Hopefully most marketers will not think that "co-created" means that marketers create the mad lib sentences and consumers add the few choice words.

I think of it more like a two act play - the marketer tells her story in act one and then the story of act two is choreographed independently by the consumer (though hopefully they use some of the props and such from act one).

In other words, the marketer makes it worthy and the consumer gives it worth.

[Troy]

Consumer collaboration--right on! Thanks for the nudge.

[simon billing]

As marketers we too often fail to realise that our brands are the sum of what our consumers and non-consumers think of us; branding is what we do to try and shape that but it is not what creates the brand. Likewise "word of mouth" and "viral" happen at the behest of the consumer not at the diktat of the marketer.

In the co-creation process, we should remember that it's the consumer who has the upper hand.

[Crawford]

A good co-author knows when to shut up and listen.
And, yes, there are times when it's more like Mad-libs than a two act play.
Get used to it.