[experiential word-of-mouth marketing]
What more appropriate day to make a post about “word of mouth” marketing and advertising than today of all days… St. Valentine’s Day?
Among the “major” holidays, Valentine’s Day is played to the hilt in stores, on TV, in print, and online. Word of mouth spreads fast… you don’t want to end up in the doghouse for forgetting now, do you?
(Saint) Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine’s cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. – from Wikipedia.org
Word-of-mouth advertising is actually representative of several different types of marketing techniques. It is a highly-valued idea to product and service marketers because it is historically the most effective and versatile promotional methodology. Some of the types of marketing methods that are encompassed by word-of-mouth advertising include:
• Viral
• Buzz
• Blog
• Social media
• Grassroots
• Ambassador programs
• Cause influencing
• More…
There is a personal nature associated with word-of-mouth promotion and Valentine’s Day is living proof of that very “personal nature.”
Played out over and over, the proof is self evident that people are shown to be more likely to be moved positively by word-of-mouth than by more formalized marketing techniques. In other words, if you can get people talking about your service, product or message in a very positive way, you can bypass many other marketing types – and their related expenses.
