Measuring Word-Of-Mouth

The New York Times looks at the power of word-of-mouth today. While every brand desires this supposed state of marketing nirvana, very few know how to accurately track the activity.

“The majority of word-of-mouth happens in areas devoid of microphones or cameras or any other means of actually tracking conversations,” said Jamie Tedford, senior vice president of media and marketing innovation for Arnold Worldwide, an advertising agency owned by Havas. “It’s the biggest challenge in the industry.”

The article goes on to explain that Kelley Fay Group, new word-of-mouth research firm, is “attempting to demystify chatter in the offline world.” Keller Fay asks people to keep a diary of conversations that mention products or brands and later asks them to recount details. Six months and more than 18,000 people later, Keller Fay is marketing its data to companies as a unique window into consumers’ heads.
On average, Keller Fay finds that people discuss about a dozen brands each day.

About David Burn

I wrote my first ad for a local political candidate when I was 17. She went on to win her race, and I felt the power of persuasive copy for the first time. Starting in Portland in 1995, I worked my way across the country as a copywriter and eventually became a content director making media products for big packaged goods brands. I returned to Oregon in 2008, and now I focus on building brands for companies that matter, including this one.