Consumers are inundated with advertising every day, and as a result, conventional forms of advertising have lost some of their influence. Simply put, the high number of ads seen by most people on a daily basis, combined with a suspicion of advertising and big business, has created the need for marketers to recruit consumers themselves to educate others in their social networks about products and brands. This process, known as “word of mouth” (WOM) or “viral marketing” is becoming more important to manufacturers, retailers and, of course, advertising agencies.

Consumers are inundated with advertising every day, and as a result, conventional forms of advertising have lost some of their influence. Simply put, the high number of ads seen by most people on a daily basis, combined with a suspicion of advertising and big business, has created the need for marketers to recruit consumers themselves to educate others in their social networks about products and brands. This process, known as “word of mouth” (WOM) or “viral marketing” is becoming more important to manufacturers, retailers and, of course, advertising agencies.

Specifically, the report addresses the following questions:

How much influence does word of mouth have on decisions about what products and brands to purchase?

Which segments are most likely to be influenced by WOM?

Which consumer segments have the highest concentration of “Influentials” who disseminate product and brands WOM?

What are the psychological attributes of people who enjoy participating in WOM campaigns by telling others about products and services?

What techniques are most likely to drive positive WOM?