Word of Mouse: From 7 people to 350 million in 24 hours
9 INCH AXIOM – Word of Mouse
‘Word of mouth has the ability to go from one to one to being exponential by embracing the internet or ‘word of mouse’
[Image adapted from an original image by Karen Rustad]
To take some political license with a famous quote from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ …
“One Click to Connect Them All”
Here is a great story involving Universal Studios and the launch of a new theme park courtesy of David Meerman Scott:
Cindy Gordon, the VP of New Media and Marketing Partnerships at Universal, was charged with launching the new ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ Theme Park. Gordon was given access to an immense budget, after all this was momentous undertaking by Universal. How did Cindy spread the world? Was there a 7 figure ad buy? A huge press conference and media event? Nope – she told just 7 people. She conducted a secret midnight webcast with 7 of the top Harry Potter bloggers. Those 7 bloggers posted about the new theme park which then created a ripple effect. Mainstream media picked up on the story and the news spread like wildfire. Within 24 hours over 350 million people were alerted to the news.
The Harry Potter example (which by the way happened exactly two years ago to the minute) and its success was possible via ‘word of mouse’. The ability for standard ‘word of mouth’ to travel at lightning speed electronically.
Let’s look at what I call the Triple A’s of ‘Word of Mouse’:
1. Alert – The internet has the ability to communicate ‘instantaneously’. Twitter is a great tool for immediate updates or the sharing of news and images whether its a plane going down in the Hudson River or an NBA player tweeting from the locker room at half time.
2. Amplifiy – Call it the Susan Boyle effect, but tools like YouTube allow for tens of millions of people to click on a link and absorb information in a short period.
3. Archive – The web creates a ‘long tail’ whereby information remains readily accessible. Monitoring those conversations and managing your online reputation is vital.
Conclusion: Embrace the power of ‘Word of Mouse’. Create and share content that is both sticky (interesting and relevant) and easy to spread.
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra) - A couple of interesting etymologies:
According to WordSpy, here is the earliest citation for ‘word of mouse’:
You really need to look beyond the mice to decide which product is best for you. And although we sometimes like to feel that we’re the last word on the subject, we encourage you to check out other sources of information about the products you’re interested in; seek out word of mouth to complement word of mouse.
—Jon Zilber, “Of mice and menaces,” MacUser, January, 1991
Chris Anderson originated the idea/concept of the ‘Long Tail’
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The goal of marketing is to capture the mind and ultimately conquer the heart of your target audience.
The aim of 9 INCH MARKETING is to examine that journey. We'll explore 'how to' bridge the gap between traditional and social media by taking a sensory approach to integrated marketing.
WOM is the new black:
New numbers from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) indicate traditional forms of marketing are taking a back seat to WOM. With slashed advertising budgets and higher demands, companies are looking for the most bang for their buck and naturally finding WOM. 26 percent of companies surveyed by ANA said they are increasing their networking and WOM activities during the recession and 41 percent are planning to do the same once the recession is over. WOM’s stock might be one of the few that keeps rising in hard times.
http://www.womma.org/blog/2009/06/wom-is-the-new-black-during-recession/