Word of mouth

Every one of us can remember a time that we trusted what a friend has told us as fact.  We did not need proof, a source, or to be convinced.  We took it at face value.  We were persuaded by word of mouth.

This is the basis of eWOM marketing.  With the growth of social media in our personal lives, it only makes sense that this forum could also influence our purchasing decisions.  When making a purchase, many of us will read reviews, blogs, and ask friends to get multiple opinions.  For example, it has been reported that about 75 percent of travellers will read numerous reviews before booking a trip.  A study by students of Taylor's University in Malaysia examined the relationships between eWOM and potential business.  In this study, the biggest influence found was the quality of the argument.  This would lead to suggest how companies should move forward with their marketing, engaging the customers and responding to reviews directly.(ProQuest, 2014) 

Companies can also use social media to forward positive comments and reviews found on blogs and discussion boards to a larger platform.  According to Kimberly Whitler of Forbes Magazine and her interview with Suzanne Fanning, President of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) over 90 percent of customers believe reviews and opinions of friends and family over any kind of advertisement.

WOMM focuses on 3 things.  The 3 E's: Engage, Equip, Empower.  Businesses need to focus on connecting and engaging with their fans, not just getting their thumbs up on social media.  A true fan will help sell your product, not just hit the like button on Facebook.

Engage

Join the conversation! Reply to comments, questions and keep the conversation going.

Equip

Give them something to talk about.  Whether it's your product, your impeccable customer service or even a related meme.

Empower

Show your customer that they are important to you.  Give them a way to help make decisions.  Ask them questions; get their opinions on price, quality or even something as minute as the colour scheme of your next product launch.

(Whitler, 2014)

Check out your favourite brands social media accounts.  Do you see these tactics in action?  Do you have an opinion to offer?  

-Lauren

ProQuest. (2014). Examining the antecedents of persuasive eWOM messages in social media. Retrieved from ProQuest: search.proquest.com.library.sheridan.on.ca/docview/1635067956?pq-origsite=summon&http://login.library.sheridanc.on.ca/login?url-accountid=3455

Whitler, K. (2014, July). Why Word of Mouth Marketing Is The Most Important Social Media. Retrieved from Forbes CMO Network: www.forbes.com/sites/kimberlywhitler/2014/07/17/why-word-of-mouth-marketing-is-the-most-important-social-media/#21ff32a17a77

Influential Messages

We can all agree that social media and news papers are important and can be fairly influential.  With that in mind, some media can be used to influence our decisions for different reasons.  Whether we have noticed them or not, a lot of commercials and/or ads are meant to portray our sense of self.  Many use empathy to guide or inspire us to make better decisions.

In case you don't know what the term "self" means, it is a concept that sociologists have been examining since the early 1900's.  George Herbert Mead came up with the theory of "self", where he focused on our significant others (our immediate family/friends) and generalized others (teachers, t.v., co-workers etc.) and how they formed our opinions and choices for us since birth.  

So when we are looking at this from a media standpoint, we absorb what we are surrounded with, whether we agree with it or not.  Social Psychological models such as the Elaboration Likelihood Model  (Petty, 1986) suggest that persuasion is dependant on how in-depth the message makes you think.  A well constructed, strong message will make the audience more willing to consider the content and be more motivated to advocate the message in the future.  Whereas a weak argument will most likely be ignored, whether the message itself is important or not.  This can also go in another direction, if the message is relatable but threatens our sense of self, we can turn defensive toward the information being presented and allow us to only accept selective pieces of the message. (Morton, 2006)

Attached are links to a few ads that are currently running.
One targeting young women and mothers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi_JwXTXLA0
And one targeting young adults and/or pet owners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56b09ZyLaWk

Can you relate to either of these messages?  If so, does it make you second guess your choices or do you feel like they are a negative portrayal of the message?
Let me know what you think.

Lauren

Morton, T. A. (2006, March). Enlisting the Influence of Others: Alternative Strategies for Persuasive Media Campaigns. Retrieved from Journal of Applied Social Psychology: onlinelibrary.wiley.com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/doi/10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00008.x/full

Petty, C. (1986).