Word-of-Mouth (Advocacy)
The new media marks the shift from
the unidirectional nature of communication in the past.
Today, consumers, not marketers, generate the vast majority of content about
products and services.
Consumers also spread the word. At the onset, something (about a product) attracts
attention initially from a core group of consumers who spread the word among their peers. News
travels in this fashion until enough tongues are wagging to constitute a
“buzz” about the brand.
Their words are more persuasive than advertising.
Amplified on social media, consumer opinions, reviews, advice, rants or complaints
can become viral and spread — possibly yielding enormous gains or possibly
causing immense damage.
These extraordinary opportunities and threats
led to the inception of word-of-mouth marketing or buzz marketing
or influencer marketing.
Also referred to as advocacy, companies try to create
word of mouth or catalyse the buzz by enlisting influencers to talk
about their products on social networks. These are individuals with
large social connections, and with deep propensity to talk about
ideas online.
Buzz (word-of-mouth) marketing
is covered in more detail in Chapter Digital Marketing.