FreeThink: WOM is big business. No really.

FreeThink: a blog published by Maxwell PR

WOM is big business. No really.

Before heading to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Summit last week, I had an interesting conversation with my client regarding why the marketing trades rarely cover campaigns that fall into this category.

That's not to say that they don't ever cover WOM, they certainly do, but I have yet to pique a reporter's interest in a story about our annual People's Choice contest for Kettle Foods. If you are familiar with Maxwell PR or Kettle Chips you already know that right now you can go online and vote for the next chip flavor the company makes. We've been doing this for four years - before the term "user-generated" was invented. The catch is that we don't do any mainstream advertising or have a big budget - two important criteria for trade media coverage. Lots of WOM campaigns operate the same way.

But maybe the stunning news that WOM is projected to be a $1billion industry next year will get the trades' attention. Maybe this news will make WOM seem more real (dare I say more valid) to the editors who cover our industry. It's time to take this seriously.

- Jen Scott

posted on November 20, 2007

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	This spirited, open forum by Maxwell PR staff members, studio mates and colleagues features people who are, in our opinion, doing the right things to get people talking. You'll see us rave about organizations building communities and rant about those who are missing obvious opportunities. We sprinkle in a little marketing and PR rhetoric from time to time for extra vigor and enthusiasm, and will share observations and insight based on our own experience honing our craft every day.

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