Marketing Matters: The Various Words of Mouth — Moving Beyond the ‘Road-to-Damascus’ Conversion
Jenni Romaniuk
Ehrenberg-Bass Institute
That word of mouth (WOM) has a powerful influence on consumer behavior is something of a truism in marketing. Even advertising quality is often judged by the amount (and quality) of consumer-to-consumer conversation it generates. And, at no time is as much attention paid to online advertising buzz as during the run-up to and the aftermath of the Super Bowl.
The presumption is that advertising WOM is a viable indicator of advertising success, much as we consider advertising reach, likability, and message...