Marketing Advisor Blog

Word of mouth: why do people talk about products and brands?

We know that people talk to others about products, brands and services.

A more fundamental question is probably why they do it.

There are lots of reasons, many of them psychological, and it’s important to know and understand them because in the end word of mouth is about the willingness and motivation of people to share your story with others.

So check out our little list of reasons (and realize it’s all but exhaustive).

Social media a key focus for UK-based PR professionals in 2010

A survey by Vocus, a provider of on-demand software for PR management, shows that social media are a main focus for PR pros in the UK.

74% of respondents say they will focus on social media in 2010.

Also leveraging video (55%), Search Engine Optimization (51%) and viral and word of mouth campaigns (48%) are key objectives for the more than 280 UK-based marketing and PR professionals Vocus surveyed.

Internet: the third most important source for selecting financial products and services in Belgium

As many as 4.2 million Belgian web surfers between 15 and 65 years indicate that they are (co-)responsible for the selection and purchase of financial products and services.

They increasingly use the internet to do this and for choosing another financial institution than the one they are actually working with.

Four in five Belgian decision makers regarding the choice of a financial product or service say that they visit financial websites and one in three states that the information they found online has enabled them to determine which financial products to purchase.

Family and 'real' friends remain the main influencers when people decide to buy

No matter how many online social media exist: people still mainly talk to each other about products, companies and experiences in ‘real-life’ face-to-face contacts.

This does not mean that opinions on social networks, online peer reviews, blogs and all the other only digital media where people can get informed by influencers have no impact. But still: word of mouth is and remains primarily an offline matter.

Moreover, the opinions of 'offline' friends, relatives and acquaintances have a more significant impact on what we buy than the recommendations of 'online' friends.