A study highlighted in Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive — the fantastic book by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini — revealed that companies with names that were easy to pronounce outperformed companies with complicated names on the stock market. In both controlled studies using fictitious company names…
Word of mouth research: A fan is worth $2,634 in the computer hardware industry
People who are highly likely to recommend a company and/or its products are worth $2,634 in the computer hardware industry according to a Satmetrix Systems study, Net Promoter Economics: The Impact of Word of Mouth. The study is based on Satmetrix’s Net Promoter WOM Economic Framework, which determines total customer value based on buyer and referral…
The word of mouth time scale
Sean Moffitt of Buzz Canuck shares an in-depth look at the time scale of word of mouth in its various forms. Sean’s scale (pictured) begins with viral, which he describes as having the potential to widely spread but having the shortest lifespan and the highest level of unpredictability — up to customer evangelism, where through…
Word of mouth research: WOM is the biggest influencer in apparel and electronics purchases
When buying apparel and electronics, consumers look primarily to their peers for information about products, retailers, and past shopping experiences. That’s according to a study by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association and BIGresearch. Findings from the study include: At 44.4%, WOM is the number one influencer in electronics purchases At 34.4%, WOM is the…
From the archives: Word of mouth from strangers can be more influential than opinions from close friends
Recommendations from people we barely know can be more influential than opinions from our close friends, according to a study by Jacob Goldenberg (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Barak Libai (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology), and Eitan Muller (Tel Aviv University). The study focused on comparing the personal communication between closer and stronger communications that are within…