Getting People Talking

1. Getting People Talking Word of Mouth

2. The Debate • To paraphrase George Orwell: • -“All consumers are not created equal” • It seems that consumers are not an amorphous mass whom we can blanket bomb with commercial messages that they will all meekly respond to, as traditional advertising models would have us believe • Instead, there are some consumers who will pick up on information and pass it on to their social network thus acting as powerful brand advocates, or influencers • Word of Mouth Marketing is an attempt to harness this people power and make it work for advertisers and their brands, but how can media be part of this?

3. Summary of Findings • The need for Word of Mouth has risen as the belief in traditional forms of advertising have declined • Word of Mouth is all about TRUST -When people feel vulnerable -When they’re going through changes in lifestage -When they need advice about something from an expert – but someone they know, not an impersonal advisor • Certain consumers are more likely to be conveyors of WOM • -These people are known as Influencers – about 10% of the population • -However Influencers are generally different for each category

4. Summary of Findings • The Internet, particularly the rise of User Generated Content, has played a fundamental role in the move towards WOM marketing • However, magazines can also play a part in generating • WOM • -They are seen as close and trusted friends • -Editorial viewpoints are often taken as the readers own • -Magazine readers are also more likely to be among the 10% of Influentials who generate WOM

5. Contents • The Spread of “Word Of Mouth” (WOM) - And the rise of the Internet • Why is WOM so important? • Influencing the Influencers • WOM Marketing • - How Media can be used to propagate WOM

6. In the Beginning About 350,000 years ago, Hominid hearing apparatus was tuned to hear sounds made in speech for the first time Today, Word of Mouth is instrumental in 83% of purchase decisions

7. Why Do We Talk? • Before we could write, the only way for humans to communicate was via speech • So for hundreds of thousands of years, talking was our most important social connector - Information – danger, food, water - Social – history, love, kinship, enmity • Word of Mouth today fulfils the same role - Provides people with information - Reinforces social bonds - Builds on oral tradition

8. How Does Word of Mouth Work? • Spontaneous – sharing an experience • “I went to an amazing restaurant on Friday night” • Prompted – speaking in response to a need • “If you’re looking for a new buggy, I’d recommend the Maclaren” • Secondary – relating experience of another person • “I’ve never tried it, but my mum has and she • didn’t think it was that great”

9. What Propagates WOM? • Family • Friends • Colleague • Trusted Independent • Aspirational Endorser

10. Different Types of WOM • Word of Mouth is deemed to be all communication which takes place about brands on a Consumer to Consumer basis -This can be split into two main types: Buzz and Advocacy • BUZZ - Talking about something new, cool, different, provocative - Something to be passed on to gain social currency - This can have a positive effect on a brand but not necessarily lead to sales • ADVOCACY - Focused on the brand and its merits (positive or negative) This is more likely to have a greater short-term sales effect

11. Why Is WOM Most Important? Lifestages Transition = Point of Vulnerability = Need for new information

12. Why Has The Role of WOM grown? • As life becomes more complex and choice proliferates, people are relying more than ever before on recommendations • - WOM now 1.5 times more important now than it was 25 years ago • 89% of women believe recommendations by friends and family • 70% of women learn about new products or services from another woman Recommendations Make People Feel Confident And Keep Them Connected

13. WOM Growth Where do you get most of your information about new products and services?

14. Internet 2.0 • The internet has caused a seismic shift in people’s ability to find information and communication with each other • The next phase of web development – “Internet 2.0” sees the consumer taking control: -Blogging -Community sites like MySpace and Face Book -User generated content as on You Tube or Flickr -Chat Rooms and Forums for consumers to comment on anything and everything! • Suddenly anyone can get their voice heard and air their opinions to millions of others -Advertisers want to harness this power -(And try and steer it to their benefit)

15. Why Is WOM So Important? • Trust for big businesses is at an all-time low • - And this includes their advertising • Consumers are more ad-savvy than ever – they are no longer passively waiting to be told which products to buy • - Brand choice is huge & often overwhelming • - Media fragmentation and consumer control means they are also more easily able to edit out advertising they’re not interested in Advertisers must find new ways of connecting and engaging with their consumers, and new channels through which to speak to them

16. The Road to WOM Mass Marketing Less Effective Need for Breakthrough Grassroots Vehicle WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING Media Environment Fragmentation & Cost Low Credibility of Conventional Advertising Rise of Internet Marketplace Differentiation Low Established Brands / Business Models Under Threat Need for Remarkable Brands / Contagious Ideas Financial Pressure Number of Choices / Brands Up Distribution Concentration Low Credibility of Conventional Advertising Globalisation Pace of Technology Faster Consumer Tuning Out Need for Influential Consumers Less Time, Attention, Trust Want Authenticity, intimacy Remarkability, edge Heterogeneous Consumer Rise of Word of Mouth

17. The Decline of Trust • Growth in WOM occurred during mid-90’s • This coincided with a period when consumers lost trust in large organisations: • - Government • - Businesses • - Brands • Instead they turned to family and friends as trusted sources • - Offer advice based on personal experience • - NOT marketing spin or hype

18. Why Do People Trust?

19. A Person ‘Like Me’

20. Influencing the Influencers

21. ‘Alphas’and‘Sneezers’: Influencing the Influencers Traditional Advertising Model Communication Audience Consumers are “Passive Receivers” who are served blanket advertising

22. ‘Alphas’and‘Sneezers’: Influencing the Influencers New Advertising Model Communication 10% 90% Audience Reach Opinion Leaders and they will pass the communication on to Opinion Followers

23. ‘Law of the Few’ • Consumers aren’t a collection of isolated individuals but a community of interconnected people • Brand perceptions shaped by many influences • - Advertising • - Word of Mouth • - User imagery (aspirational people using product) • - Observed behaviour (watching how others do things) • Paid for communications can’t reach everyone • - Instead influence the influencers and their position in the hierarchy will help to position the brand in others’ eyes

24. Who Are the Influencers? • Who they’re NOT: • - Most affluent • - Best educated • - Elected officials • - CEO’s of major corporations • They ARE: • - The 10% most actively engaged in social and cultural dynamics of their community • They are twice as likely than average to be asked their opinion on products and services • They are also different for every category • - Only approx 5% of people are “Pure” influencers in every • walk of life. The rest are influencers in 1, or maybe • more categories

25. Word of Mouth Marketing Today’s marketing world is broken. We must accept there is no “mass” in mass media. We must always remember the consumer is Boss… Consumers today are less responsive to traditional advertising… they are embracing new technologies… and making purchase decisions in environments where marketers have less direct influence.

26. Emergence of WOM As a Marketing Tool Emerging marketing techniques being used currently, or intended to use in next 6 months Source: MPA

27. WOM Marketing • How to make it work: • Make it mutually beneficial • Give them a reason to talk • Empower consumers to share experiences

28. Influence The Influencer Product Innovation Brand Ambassadors Measure Referral Programmes Listen to Feedback Product Seeding Get a Cause Implementation of WOM

29. How To Engage Consumers With WOM • Keep it real and/or simple • Be relevant and memorable • Be personal • Build a customer journey • Provide support / expert advice • Gain trust • Provide brand experience • Build connectivity • Above all, show respect, and listen to feedback

30. The Honesty ROI: Honesty and Relationship, Opinion and Identity • Honesty of Relationship • - Be open about any relationship between marketer and endorser • Honesty of Opinion • - Never tell consumers what to say • Honesty of Identity • - Disclose identity of origination of any communication • Research shows that being open about involvement • in WOM marketing leads to better results than • deception

31. Targeting the Influentials

32. Targeting Influentials WOM in individual categories varies amongst different consumer groups. The PPA’s Targeting Influentials study identifies who the Influentials responsible for generating it WOM are and how different product categories . Then having identified the Influentials, what do their media consumption habits suggest might be an effective way of engaging with them?

33. Identifying the Influentials Thinking about the following product area, where do you get MOST information about products and services? % Agreeing Clothes Category Source: BMRB Omnibus Survey/PPA Targeting Influentials 2008

34. Mavens Connectors Influentials Sellers Identifying the Influentials • Do you talk to lots of people about a category? (Connectors) • Do you know a lot about the category? (Mavens) • Is your opinion likely to convince others? (Sellers) • Key Influentials are Connectors, Mavens and Sellers Clothes Category Source: BMRB Omnibus Survey/PPA Targeting Influentials 2008

35. Reaching Influentials How likely are each of the following types of advertising to influence whether you would talk with others about Clothes? Source: BMRB Omnibus Survey/PPA Targeting Influentials 2008

36. Which media do the Influentials in the Clothescategory use? Reaching Influentials Source : TGI /WOM : Key Influentials and heavy users of medium

37. How Can Media Get People Talking

38. A Reminder • Who do people turn to for WOM recommendations? • - Family • - Friends • - Colleague • - Trusted Independent • - Aspirational Endorser • Media has the potential to act as either of these

39. World Super-Region Nation City, county Local Extended Nuclear Me Family Magazines Family Community How Readers Relate To Magazines Magazines are in the centre of “My World”, the same place as close family and friends – the place where trust is highest

40. Return on Involvement • Readers are so involved with the opinions of the magazine that they are often adopted as their own • Magazines contribute more than any other marketing channel to a person’s own recommendations to friends and family • This effect is strongest amongst the 10% of the population who are Influentials • So not only do magazines influence their readers purchase decisions, they also have an indirect impact on the readers circle of influence

41. Return on Involvement Magazines have more influence than any other marketing channel % Saying Which Marketing Elements Contributed to Recommendations of Theirs in Past Year Source: Roper Reports

42. Just How Influential Are Magazine Readers • Almost half of Influentials in the USA (49%) are heavy magazine readers • But only 1/3rd (32%) are heavy TV viewers • So, an Influential is 22% more likely to be a heavy magazine reader, (index 122) and 21% less likely to be a heavy TV viewers (index 79) Source: Roper Reports

43. It’s Good To Talk The heaviest 20% of magazine readers are the most likely group to talk to others about Toiletries, H/hold Products, Clothes, Pharmaceuticals Base: All adults Source: TGI

44. Experts The heaviest 20% of magazine readers know a large amount about many of different topics Base: All adults Source: TGI

45. Talk to Many Different People The heaviest 20% of magazine readers talk to many different people about certain topics Base: All adults Source: TGI

46. Likely to Convince Others The heaviest 20% of magazine readers believe they are likely to convince others about their opinions on a range of different categories Base: All adults Source: TGI

47. But What About the Internet? • Recent Millward Brown research suggests that though Online WOM is more visible, offline is more powerful: • - Online WOM works best for certain products or services e.g. car insurance, digital cameras • - However, consumers are starting to seek expert recommendations using online sources • - Furthermore, offline is more often used to spread negative WOM • Personal contacts are far more important for seeking advice - they are a trusted source who understands what is needed • - Online WOM is diminished by lack of knowledge about who’s giving the advice, and by lack of knowledge about who wants the advice

48. Summary of Findings • The need for Word of Mouth has risen as the belief in traditional forms of advertising have declined • Word of Mouth is all about TRUST -When people feel vulnerable -When they’re going through changes in lifestage -When they need advice about something from an expert – but someone they know, not an impersonal advisor • Certain consumers are more likely to be conveyors of WOM • -These people are known as Influencers – about 10% of the population • -However Influencers are generally different for each category