Word of Mouth and the Internet

Ed Keller and Brad Fay explain how a brand's successful advertising results in conversation. When an advertisement is done correctly, it makes people curious to learn more about a particular item or brand. Advertising makes people talk about a brand. People want to talk about brands for a number of reasons. They can share their experiences with a particular brand. Also, they can learn more information about a brand they do not know. Chapter 5 of The Face-to-Face Book discusses the importance of word of mouth and how the Internet plays a huge role in creating word of mouth.

Good advertising has the ability to create a good amount of word of mouth, one factor in determining the success of advertising. Word of mouth is not generated through one medium. However, the Internet has become the channel that creates the most conversation. Keller and Fay's research explains how the Internet creates offline conversations to help make successful advertising. When a persons views an online advertisement, it can become a conversation starter, such as, "Did you see that soap commercial?" The other person may or may not have watched that commercial. If the other person did, there would be a discussion about the commercial and the brand. If not, the person who watched the commercial could share the information with the other person.

There are three categories of messages that are delivered online: paid, brand-owned and earned. In word of mouth conversations, the Internet is referred to 16 percent of the time. A company website follows at 5.2 percent, while an Internet ad is mentioned 4.5 percent of the time. Other websites are talked about in 3.1 percent of the conversations. Online consumer reviews and social media are mentioned 2.9 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively. While the elements do not surprise me, the percent of social media reference does surprise me. I thought social media would be mentioned in at least 10% of conversations. There are blogs and social networking sites where people share their thoughts and opinions about products and brands, both positive and negative. With the growth of social media, I expected it to be referenced more than 2.6 percent.

The Internet also plays a role before, during and after conversation. Keller Fay did a study for Google in 2010 that determined the role of the Internet in conversation, compared to television and print. The study found that the Internet and television play equal roles before conversation, while the Internet takes a higher role during and after conversation. The Internet was found to be a leader in each phase. Before a conversation, a person may find an interesting item or brand online, which can become a conversation starter. During a conversation, if an item or brand is mentioned, a person can do a search for that item or brand. Once a conversation ends, a person can look online for more information about that brand or item.

The Internet has a large impact on creating word of mouth for brands and items. There is creative advertising online that sparks interest and conversation. There are a number of ways to refer to an online advertisement, such as an Internet ad or social media. The Internet also leads the way in the conversation process. While there are other mediums out there, the Internet is leading the way for word of mouth conversations.