Two days ago, I wrote here in this space about word of mouth marketing, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and BzzAgent. Today’s post is a continuation of that same article, in which I write about my own personal use of word of mouth marketing on behalf of BzzAgent and its client, Atkins Advantage Bars…
On more than several occasions, I chose to Bzz on behalf of Atkins Advantage Bars by sharing the product with others.
I gave a bar to the computer technician who was kind enough to make a house call when my laptop almost crashed.
I shared two – the Caramel Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Chip Granola bars – with my 17-year-old step-daughter, Sophie (who liked the latter flavor better).
I gave bars to a couple of my running buddies from the Greater Framingham Running Club (just prior to the start of our longest training run of the year, a 21-mile sojourn from the Hopkinton Common to the top of Heartbreak Hill in Newton).
And I brought a few bars to a conference planning committee meeting I had with two of my friends from NEDMA, an activity that I documented and submitted to BzzAgent in the form of the following BzzReport…
My BzzReport on Atkins Advantage Bars
I had an informal business meeting at the restaurant, T.G.I. Friday’s, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to share my Atkins Advantage Bars with others. The setting was right, a place where food and drinks were being served amidst a relaxing, enjoyable atmosphere. And given that my dinner companions were two fellow marketing professionals, I had a hunch that my Bzz would go over well. And indeed it did, as my colleagues, Ben and Craig, were as much excited about the concept of word-of-mouth marketing as the free samples I was about to distribute. I gave each of them a bar to take home with them that evening (and the next day I sent them a brochure explaining the nutritional advantages of Atkins Advantage Bars and a coupon worth a dollar off any two Advantage bars). I also offered one of my bars to our waitress, who scoffed it down in the kitchen and came back to our table with a rave review. I couldn’t help but find it more than a little ironic that I had my entire table talking about such healthy, nutritious snacks as the Atkins Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar and Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar when all around us people were being served plates piled ridiculously high with French fries, onion rings, potato skins, cheeseburgers, chicken wings and spare ribs. Nothing against the restaurant (because I really do like the food there), but maybe T.G.I. Friday’s should consider adding Atkins Advantage Bars to its menu.
The Future of WOMM
Clearly, I’m bullish on the prospects of word of mouth marketing. And given the fact that I’m such a dyed-in-the-wool direct marketer, beholden to measurable response rates from day one of my career, I suppose that may surprise some people. After all, the benefits of WOMM are not necessarily easy to quantify.
But my partiality is due in large part to the fact that word of mouth marketing is not that far removed from what I’ve been doing so frequently over the course of the last couple of years in the blogosphere. Every time I write and publish a post, I’m hoping to build at least some degree of buzz on behalf of a particular point of view, if not a product or service. Such activity – word of mouth anything – comes naturally to me. And I’ve enjoyed some of the rewards.
The bottom line is that word of mouth marketing seems to lend itself well to today’s new marketing landscape, which has businesses and organizations placing greater stock in consumer opinion and actually involving them in the sales, marketing and public relations process. As just one tool of our trade (among many), WOMM certainly has my endorsement. However, time will tell just how many others in my field pay it anything more than lip service.
Note: This is part two of a two-part article on the author’s experience with word of mouth marketing and the company, BzzAgent. Part one was posted here on A New Marketing Commentator on May 3, 2006.
To learn more about the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, click here.
To learn more about BzzAgent (which even has a free program for qualified nonprofit organizations), click here.
Tags: word of mouth marketing Word of Mouth Marketing Association BzzAgent Bob Cargill Atkins Advantage Bars word of mouth direct marketing marketing advertising public relations
Google+
Follow
Hey Bob:
Word of mouth has been around a long time. But it’s been a free-wheeling, almost anarchic show because that’s the nature of it. They’re opinions backed up by experience and offered by people who have a strong desire to share those opinions.
I belong to a number of discussion forums – recently one on health and bodybuilding. Of course, nutrition comes up all the time. A few days ago, there was a strong thread about oatmeal no less! And everyone had an opinion not only on which brands, but exactly how to prepare it.
My point is once you put a “constraint” on it, it changes the nature. Once there is a quid pro quo, my opinion is that the essential honesty is lost because there’s an expectation of physical reward – points redemption system, corporate give-aways, etc.
To a degree, it also taints the opinion-maker since now it becomes a “sponsored” opinion.
There was some buzz not a few months ago about corporations sending out these “agents” to sit in bars for instance, and talk up their particular choice of liquors. I don’t think it went over very well once it was discovered.
Those that produce products do have a responsibility to those who buy their products – and they should keep their eyes, ears, and taste buds open to opinion.
But to me, BzzAgent is just another informercial.
Just my .02