c
compose new post
j
next post/next comment
k
previous post/previous comment
r
reply
e
edit
o
show/hide comments
t
go to top
esc
cancel

 
Track the Word via RSS

  • Author Tweets Her Way into Backlash

    Pat McCarthy 11:41 am on July 2, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:

    Twitter provides a platform to publish instant reaction to events in the world and in our own lives.  But sometimes that opportunity can be a little too instant, as author Alice Hoffman learned on Sunday when she tweeted an enraged response to Boston Globe writer Roberta Silman’s negative review of her novel “The Story Sisters.”  Deriding Silman as a “moron,” Hoffman posted Silman’s phone number and e-mail address and encouraged fans to “Tell her what u think of snarky critics.”  Hoffman deleted her Twitter account a day later and issued a terse apology for her “heat of the moment reaction” via her publicist.  But on the Internet, where nothing every really gets deleted, is it enough?  And why didn’t she tweet her apology?

    Full story in the New York Times here: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/author-apologizes-for-twitter-outburst-about-a-bad-review/?scp=2&sq=twitter&st=cse

    Summary written by WOMMA Intern Amy Ellison-Cherny

     
  • Upcoming WOMMA Webinar

    Pat McCarthy 11:37 am on July 2, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:

    When Companies Need More than Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter: How an Internal Social Network is a Competitive Advantage

    12 pm Noon EST, July 8
    Free for Everyone!

    Mike Walsh
    CEO
    Leverage Software

    The term “social networking” is used to describe many things — from business networking sites like LinkedIn, to social connection sites like Facebook, to “hybrid” social networks like the micro-blogging platform Twitter. For professionals looking to better understand how these tools fit into their business, these broad descriptions can be confusing. Learn how your company can effectively unlock company knowledge, drive productivity, improve communication, and spark innovation through the use of internal social networks and social business tools.

    Mike is a pioneer in the social networking space and has played an instrumental role in the development of revolutionary applications for enterprises. As an Angel investor in Salesforce.com, Mike has delivered keynotes and participated in events worldwide including Gartner, Forrester and Web 2.0. Prior to founding Leverage Software, Mike held executive roles at Raytheon and on-demand solution startups. Mike holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and MBAs from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Columbia University.

     
  • WOMMA Members in the Spotlight

    Pat McCarthy 11:30 am on July 2, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Member News

    Affinitive recently launched its 100th word of mouth marketing campaign for Unisoft’s video game Assassin’s Creed. Other clients such as General Motors, The Nielsen Company, Cingular, Random House, Universal Pictures, American Skiing Company and THQ have benefited from their customer-centric marketing approach and surely more will in the future. Congratulations to Affinitive for reaching this great milestone!

    The full story at: http://eva.nanribao.cn/anime/54964

    WOMMA Governing member BzzAgent has promoted Dave Dugan to President. As president, Dugan will assume responsibility for the company’s sales, client services and international strategy. Congratulations to Dave!

    The full story at: http://www.financial24.org/economy/bzzagent-promotes-dave-dugan-to-president/

    BzzAgent is also holding a webinar titled “Honing in on Customers and Advocates through Digital Content” on July 16. Dave Balter, BzzAgent founder and CEO, and Guy Kawasaki, Alltop.com Co-founder, will host the event and show how to whittle down the wealth of information available on the Internet to a finite set of data specific to your target audience.

    Space is limited. To reserve your seat, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/163111259

    Golin Harris has published a white paper titled Get Real. It is focused on the value of authenticity and transparency in marketing. To download a copy, please visit http://www.golinharris.com/custom/gh/GetRealEmail.aspx

    House Party, who arranges social get-togethers surrounded around products, is teaming up with humanitarian organization Children International to hold 1000 “Kid-Tribution” parties to raise awareness of worldwide child poverty. The parties will be centered around attendees reminiscing and reflecting on the joy of childhood. The event will be held nationwide on Saturday, August 15. If you are interested in hosting a party please visit http://www.houseparty.com/childreninternational.

    To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/childreninternational/38833/

     
  • Gamma is the new Alpha

    Pat McCarthy 11:24 am on July 2, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:

    Meredith Corp., publisher of popular magazines such as More, Ladies Home Journal and Better Homes and Gardens, recently produced a report that highlights the value of reaching women who are privy to all the latest trends. They labeled these women as Gammas, a clear counter to the well-known Alpha male. In an attempt to harness the power of their estimated 55 million monthly Gamma readers, Meredith teamed up with women’s marketing network SheSpeaks to get influential women talking about their products through blogs, product samples and host parties centered on products. The word started spreading. Their efforts have already shown ad growth in July for four of their top five magazines.

    The full story at Media Bistro:
    http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/advertising/move_aside_alpha_males_gamma_women_are_the_latest_marketing_tool_for_meredith_120489.asp

     
  • Word of Mouth is 100 Million Strong

    Pat McCarthy 11:23 am on July 2, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:

    WOMMA member Zuberance has released some research suggesting the worldwide population of word of mouth advocates is up to 100 million, 30 million in the United States alone. The explosion of social networking is greatly responsible for these numbers. Websites such as Trip Advisor or Yelp have garnered millions of product reviews, positives outweighing negatives by a 6:1 margin. Seeing these statistics, many companies have embraced their most enthusiastic fans and encouraged them by listening and reacting to their needs, a trend that is unlikely to slow down.

    The full story at Radio Business Report:
    http://www.rbr.com/media-news/research/15538.html

     
  • Influencers get Free Pizza for House Parties

    Pat McCarthy 10:58 am on July 1, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,

    Almost everyone likes free pizza party.  WOMMA member House Party proved this with a word of mouth marketing campaign that has 2,000 people opening their doors to friends and Domino’s pizza boxes. House Party finds socially active brand ambassadors to send coupons for free goodies, be it Domino’s or any of their other clients. The ambassadors aren’t paid through anything other than free products. In exchange they are encouraged to blog about it and tell their friends. It’s reminiscent of Tupperware parties, but this time the product has a wider audience because, well, free pizza.

    The full story at Buffalo News:
    http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/717188.html

     
    • Duke Snyder 7:00 pm on July 1, 2009 Permalink

      Isn’t this posing an ethical question in blogging about a product of which you have received in exchange for having agreed to write a post about?

    • Pat McCarthy 1:54 pm on July 2, 2009 Permalink

      You bring up an interesting point. There are a lot of people trying to decide the degree to which bloggers should reveal any compensation for their reviews. House Party has their advocates blog about their experiences on House Party’s own website. Since it is clear that the advocate is writing the blog to promote their party or talk about the experience on House Party’s site, it is reasonable to believe any reader of the blog would know that there had been free giveaways. That being said, any reader can judge for themselves whether the advocate was persuaded by free items.
      The blog, however, is just one aspect of House Party’s marketing. The key to their strategy is how much consumers trust the opinions of people they know. If the attendees had a good time and liked the product, they will naturally talk to other friends about it.
      Thanks for the comment Duke!

  • Let the WOMMA Career Center Help You Streamline Your Hiring Process

    Pat McCarthy 10:57 am on July 1, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    The WOMMA Career Center is an online resource designed to help you recruit qualified WOM industry professionals
    - Unmatched exposure for job listings: WOMMA represents the largest audience of qualified WOM industry professionals.
    - Easy online job management: You can enter job descriptions, check the status of postings, renew or discontinue postings, and even make payments online.
    - Resume searching access: With a paid job listing, you can search the resume database and use an automatic notification system to receive email notifications when new resumes match your criteria.
    - Company awareness: Along with each job posting, you can include information about your individual company and a link to your web site.
    Visit WOMMA’s Career Center at http://careers.womma.org

     
  • Consumers Aren’t the Only Ones Reading Product Reviews

    Pat McCarthy 10:56 am on July 1, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,

    Even if a product is selling well and there are few returns, several companies have taken to reading product reviews to determine how to perfect their wares. Though Facebook and Twitter chatter are around, companies are finding the substantive reviews are coming from their sites. Sam Decker, chief marketing officer at WOMMA member company Bazaarvoice, likened the difference to a room where people are talking about anything in contrast to a room where everyone is talking about  a specific product. Reviews remove speculation from the engineering process. If ten people say they like the product except for one little thing, it’s easy to make solving it a priority for the next generation.

    The full story at Ad Age:
    http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=137634

     
  • Staying Professional While Unemployed

    Pat McCarthy 10:55 am on July 1, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:

    Your Twitter and Facebook have become another part of your resume. A few bad tweets or that picture of you from last year’s Vegas trip could be the determining factor in a hiring decision. The fact of the matter is that high unemployment and an unprecedented amount of easily accessible information have created powerful competition for every position. People are letting their true selves hang out there for the world to see, friends and businesses alike. But when there are 200 other people who want the same job, any indication of trouble can land your resume in the virtual trash can.

    The full story at Modesto Bee:
    http://www.modbee.com/2021/story/766266.html

     
  • Break Down the Corporate Social Media Barriers

    Pat McCarthy 11:30 am on June 30, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:

    For many of the big wigs out there, social media seems like just another way for customers to voice their complaints, a digitized helpline if you will. That viewpoint won’t inspire much excitement or a serious investment. But maybe the subject isn’t correctly marketed to the higher-ups. Since social media provides so much more than consumer complaint letters or data from helplines, it has to be marketed as a two way network. It gives the consumer a voice and lets them hear yours.

    The full story at Scott Monty:
    http://www.scottmonty.com/2009/06/herculean-effort-to-stop-ignoring.html