Recommendations from fellow consumers remains the most trusted source of information when consumers decide which products and services to buy. That’s according to a 2007 Nielsen Global Survey, with nearly 80% of the 26,000 worldwide respondents citing “recommendations from consumers” as their most trusted form of information. Word of mouth was well ahead of the…
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Word of mouth research: Global study shows WOM is most trusted source of information
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Word of mouth research: WOM’s critical role in tech purchase decisions
Tech decision makers give user-generated sites equal importance to traditional media sources when considering tech purchases, according to a recent study by Hill & Knowlton and highlighted in PRWeek. The study went on to show that word of mouth was the second-most important factor in making a decision, behind only “personal experience.” Other findings: 67%…
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From the archives: Ringo, the WOM-based music recommendations engine
Back in 1994, MIT’s Media Lab created Ringo—an algorithm-based system designed to automate the process of “word-of-mouth” music recommendations. Here’s the overview of the project: Recent years have seen the explosive growth of the sheer volume of information. The number of books, movies, news, advertisements, and in particular on-line information, is staggering. The volume of…
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Word of mouth research: WOM is the most influential factor in BtoB purchase decisions
Word of mouth is the most influential factor in BtoB purchase decisions, according to a 2006 Keller Fay. The study focused on US and UK executives and found that word of mouth has more than twice the influence of advertising, direct mail, or press coverage. Other findings include: 86% of executives say they recommend a brand…
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From the archives: Positive relationships between employees and customers increase word of mouth
A 2000 study co-produced by Bowling Green State, Kansas State, and Arizona State Universities examined the effects of interpersonal relationships between consumers and employees on word of mouth activity. Through the polling of more than 1,500 random customers of a major southwestern bank as well as customers of a dental practice in the same region,…
Word of mouth research: The psychological burden of surprise and its influence on WOM
Straight out of something our friend Andy Nulman would riff on, a 2003 study conducted by Christian Derbaix and Joelle Vanhamme of Belgium’s Université catholique de Louvain shows the influence of surprise on word of mouth. Through a questionnaire, Derbaix and Vanhamme asked respondents to describe details of a consumption or purchase experience which surprised…
