Word of Mouth Geniuses of the Week

1. Nintendo, as reported by Mack Collier, The Viral Garden
   "Case Study: Dooce’s Nintendo Wii Giveaway"    
   Transparency is key in a word of mouth campaign, and Mack talks about how Heather Armstrong did it right. He also points out out Nintendo hit a home run. (link)
2. Sean Moffitt, Buzz Canuck & Patrick Thoburn, Matchstick
   "7 Questions with Patrick Thoburn, Matchstick"      
   Thanks to Sean for providing a forum for Patrick to share his insight on word of mouth, influencers and ROI. (link)
3. Ben Worthen, Wall Street Journal Business Technology 
   "Why Most Online Communities Fail"
   Deloitte study concludes “most communities fail.” Same study also indicates 30% of businesses have only one part-time worker assigned to it. Is it any wonder why so many fail to live up to expectations? (link)
4. Lewis Green, MarketingProfs Daily Fix
   "Doing Good is Good for People, the Planet and for Business"    
   It’s one of the central ideas behind successful word of mouth marketing: You do well by doing good. Lewis highlights several businesses that thrive by heeding this mantra. (Disclosures: Dell is a member of the Blog Council, a GasPedal project. They are also prone to providing us with access to very delicious barbeque sauce). (link)   
5. Cam Beck, ChaosScenario
   "How to do Viral the Right Way"      
   

   You don’t need a goofy video clip to “go viral.” Steps 1 and 2 are the places to start for any WOM campaign. (link)

Tags: genius, good, influencers, marketing, online, online communities, roi, transparency, viral, word of mouth