Snakes and ladders marketing – understanding brand choice and relationships
Stephen PhillipsSpring Research Ltd, United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
Why we began to look at the purchase in a new way
The genesis of this paper was discussions about the problems associated with understanding word-of-mouth (WOM). Marketers know that WOM is important; our own experience, anecdotes told in groups and books such as Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point (2000) and George Silverman's The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketingall highlight the importance of WOM. This activity has culminated in the birth of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association...