You can’t make people like you (or talk about you.)
There’s a lot of buzz amongst marketers about - well - buzz/WOM (Word of Mouth), and how to measure it. And, some companies are even selling marketing programs to artificially create buzz. Maybe I’m getting cranky in my middle years, but I just don’t think “fake buzz” will ever work (at least not for long). And, it shouldn’t - customers deserve (and appreciate) real value, not marketing speak. Marketing hoo-ha is hoo-ha, no matter how it’s packaged.
As John Moore at Brand Autopsy notes:
The major reason why word-of-mouth hasn’t taken off is not because marketers lack the metrics to measure it. It’s because most products, services, and businesses simply aren’t worth talking about. Marketers should worry less about the metrics of “WOMUnits” and more about the message of the word-of-mouth activity. The more compelling and interesting the “WOMUnit,” the more people will talk about it.
Also marketers need to realize word-of-mouth is more than a marketing issue — it’s a business issue. Marketers cannot simply sprinkle magical word-of-mouth marketing dust to create long-lasting word of mouth. For endearing and enduring word-of-mouth to happen, the activity must become part of the company’s culture. Sustainable word-of-mouth is much more a way of doing business every day than a component to a two-week heavy-up marketing blitz.
Hmmm…so maybe the focus should shift from trying to outwit the customer to actually delivering things customers want and need…what a radical idea!
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November 5th, 2005 at 3:44 pm
The more I look at the marketing division within an organization, the more I can’t help but ask why on earth anyone needs these guys and gals. It seems that loads of organizations could just as easily get by with utilizing a very skilled internal sales force.
Where you hit the point (and what makes marketers look so stupid) is that the a marketing division is supposed to be ‘customer-oriented’ (obviously) and yet the people in this division never talk to the customer! Instead they are content to hide behind surveys and demographics - and let’s be real here, whe was the last time one of us answered a survey honestly!
Leave product promotion to the product designers and those that actually know (and I mean PERSONALLY know) the customers.
November 6th, 2005 at 10:36 am
Reminds me of the old, old Dilbert cartoon - showing the marketing people saying they did research when in reality they talked to their cat, Mittens.
That said - as a marketer myself, I’m compelled to note that there is such a wide range of both definition and implementation of marketing, there’s also a wide range of capability, expertise, and understanding. Unfortunately, often organizations confuse marketing communications with what I consider the real purpose/meaning of marketing - that of understanding your customers (up close and personal), the opportunities, the products, and what it takes to close a deal at a profit (and keep the customer.) “Brochure ware” is a trap into which even (especially) the biggest companies fall (speaking from - ahem - personal experience.)
And, marketing shouldn’t be considered a department - everybody in the company should be “in marketing.” As Drucker notes, A company has two functions, innovation and marketing - anything else is overhead.
And, gosh, you mean I was supposed to be honest in that survey?
November 8th, 2005 at 4:13 am
Aaah the beloved marketing department. This crazy “fake buzz” idea may just work if used in say blogmarketing where you get a really entertaining blogger to write and create some buzz for a blog. Then you piggyback on the blog’s buzz by advertising on it and compensating said blogger with earnings from affiliate sales.
November 8th, 2005 at 4:17 am
Oh and I’m inclined to say that you *can* make people like you and or talk about you - neuromarketing (exploiting human psychological reflexes to achieve what you want)