The Word Of Mouth Marketing - Essay Example

The Word Of Mouth Marketing The Power Of Trust In the vast, wild and varied world of brands and products, I am a who wants to buy a new mobile phone for myself. There are loads of advertisements on the television, radio and in magazines. There are sleek looking cell phones on display and has a colorful booklet giving me all the information about the technology. The question is, is this information enough for me to make a purchase? Or as it happens most of the time, will I consult a friend of mine who is well aware of the different models, brands and the user friendly functions of the cell? The answer is obvious that I will consult a friend who is well aware of that product before making a buy. After all, I am buying a cell phone, not a chocolate bar! And according to the authors of the article, ‘ Turning the amplification up to 11’, this friend of mine who talks about the product, knows mostly everything about it and has the ability to convince me to buy the brand that he is recommending is called as the ‘ word of mouth’ champion. In the marketing world, the consumers who communicate the information are divided into three types. One type of people are those who talk a lot to many people about a certain product, the second types are those who can give you loads of information about the product but this happens only when you ask them and the third type of people are those who has the ability to sell the product to you by convincing you about the worthiness of the product. But the champions are only those who are so passionate about the product and its functions that he not only discusses the product with whoever he comes in contact with but also enthusiastically provides you all the information that you need and with his passionate drive, becomes successful in making you to spend the money and buy it. So it is the passion that makes the word of mouth champions not just the ability to talk or give the information. Word of mouth is nothing but a way of telling customers about the product through people who are common people like others and whose words are trusted like that of friend’s. Mouth publicity can be done in numerous ways like discussing with friends, writing blogs, writing articles about your experience with the product, being an agent with the company or writing a review in the guest book. Companies have realized the importance of word of mouth and they have started using this mode of marketing their product on a great scale. Some of the companies who have used mouth publicity to their great advantage are as follows: 1) Nokia : Realizing that Nokia is a brand and a product that has a potential of getting a great amount of customers in young people, Nokia decided to involve young people in writing about their product and give them some gifts in return [1] . This strategy would work well as the publicity was decided to be done through blogs and blogs are one of the best ways of reaching the young crowd as they are hooked to internet the most. 2) Avon : Direct marketing is nothing but having your own representatives visit the potential customers, explain the brand, give the information about it and turn the ‘potential’ customer into a real customer. Avon has utilized this strategy very successfully [2] . This is a product for women and who better can be a an ambassador for Avon products than a woman who is as common as any other women? Avon has given women all over the world the opportunity to be their representatives and be a direct contact between the company and the customers. This strategy not only has been successful but has generated about one billion customer transaction. 3) Amway : Similar to the Avon , Amway is the company that has adapted direct marketing as a way of reaching the customers and let the customers be their representative and make a sell. Amway has great range of products from food items to cosmetics [3] . The best part of this kind of marketing is that you can talk confidently about the product when you are already a user of the product [4] . When a person using a product asks you to buy it, the product has a better chance of getting sold than a product which is being endorsed by some model who is paid millions of dollars. A feeling of trust helps a lot when we think about the longevity in the market. In a long run, mouth publicity has a great potential of making or breaking a product. Every human being operates under some psychological influence and when we are playing a role of a consumer, we have our own psychological patterns which leads to acceptance or the rejection of a particular product. What makes word of mouth publicity important is its ability to generate not only more customers but also gain their loyalty for a long time. There are many aspects of human behavior and emotions that play an important role in making people trust the mouth publicity more than the television, print and internet marketing. Empathy : The most important aspect of mouth publicity is the feeling of empathy. The experience of someone saying that, “I understand your needs and it is according to your specific needs that I am going to suggest a product to you ” is very soothing to both, your mind and your heart (Haugtvedt, Machleit and Yalch, pg 37) . When I am in a market for a certain thing, rather than buying something just because a company says that its product is good, I will always buy something that caters to ‘my’ needs and requirements. Experience: When I hear it from a customer that a product is good, what I am doing is depending on the ‘experience’ that he has had with the product (Haugtvedt, Machleit and Yalch, pg 40). This definitely increases my confidence in the product and I am more relaxed when buying it. The television and the radio commercials cannot be depended as experience because they have a motive to promoting their product no matter how it is. Saving time and worry: What if I am looking for the diapers for my kids and my friend calls me and tells me that a certain brand is good as she has used it for her kids and it is very healthy? I am going to take her opinion and buy the diapers rather than spending time over making decision and at the same time worrying about my opinion (Haugtvedt, Machleit and Yalch, pg 39). The mouth publicity helps a lot in doing a worriless shopping and also helps me to take a decision quickly. Trust: When a customer is advised or informed about a certain product by a friend, relative or an internet buddy, he is sure that these people do not have any other motive than to help him in making a better choice (Haugtvedt, Machleit and Yalch, pg 47). His intention is purely to help him and not to promote a product just because the company has paid him millions to say what they want him to say. This increases customers faith in mouth publicity and helps him to make a decision. These are the psychological aspects that work behind the popularity of mouth publicity in marketing. There is no manipulation, no psychological game played or no selfish intentions. And the companies who want to stay forever in the market should understand the importance of mouth publicity. As I said earlier, the customer has a power to make or break a brand. Reference : Haugtvedt Curtis , Machleit Karen , Yalch Richard, Online Consumer psychology, Routledge, 2005 Wicken Geoff and Asquith Richard, Turning the amplification upto 11, Internation Journal of Market Research, Vol.50 issue. 6. Citations : [1] Nokia mouth publicity , 24th march’09 [2] Avon information < http://www.avoncompany.com/tour/index.html > , 24th march’09 [3] Amway products http://www.amway.com/en/Product/products-10329.aspx . 24th march’09 [4] Amway information < http://www.amway.com/en/General/About-Amway-10725.aspx >, 24th march’09 Read More