Updates from September, 2009

• The Evolution of WOM
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 9:21 am on September 30, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Creative WOM Ideas (256), WOM in Entertainment (42)

  WOM started back before social media and Web 2.0. Back in the late 90’s, WOMMA member Fanscape used street crews and Geocities fan sites to promote bands. This was the humble beginning of a lot of WOM that developed as the tools did. With the advent of YouTube, blogs, Twitter, etc., the industry continued to modernize. These tools also exposed the value of influencers. In one example, Fanscape caught the interest of gaming influencer Freddy Wong by simply offering a contest where the winner got to be a character in the next Guitar Hero. Without any other incentive, he created a lot of original content that drove the campaign. His effort to win was ideal exposure grown organically. Campaigns like these are key examples of how WOM can really build on existing bases.
  More examples of the evolution of WOM at iMedia Connection

  See Freddy Wong speak at Summit 2009. The full list of speakers is here: http://womma.org/summit09/speakers/

  

  

   

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• WOMMY Awards and Summit 2009 News
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 9:19 am on September 30, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Summit 2009 (53), WOMMYs (46)

  2 days until early bird registration ends for Summit 2009. Register early and save $200.
  The full list of speakers for Summit 2009 is now available with headshots and bios. Go here to see it: http://womma.org/summit09/speakers/

  We still have several sponsorship opportunities for Summit 2009. Where else will there be a place where the top WOM practitioners will congregate specifically to learn how to do WOM better? Our options are flexible. Got a creative idea to generate some buzz? Tell us about it. You are in the business of creating talkable brands and marketing. We want you to use that skill in your sponsorship.
  Go here: http://womma.org/summit09/sponsorship/
  Or contact Kelly Hartweg at Kelly@WOMMA.org

  5 days left before we close the door on WOMMY Award submissions. Don’t miss out on your chance to be recognized as a leader in WOM.
  Nothing to submit? That’s okay. It happens to the best of us.  But, we know you have friends in the biz: http://bit.ly/WOMMY_Tell_A_Friend
  Want to make it interesting? Go ahead, challenge a colleague (if you dare): http://bit.ly/WOMMY_Challenge

  

  

   

• What Now WOMMA?
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 9:18 am on September 30, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Brands and WOM (503), Webinar (210)

  NARC Conference:
  WOMMA’s Vice President will be contributing to lead panel at the NAD Annual Conference 2009. He will discuss the ongoing developments in testimonial and endorsement ethics.

  Other presenters include:
  Jeffrey S. Edelstein, Esq. - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (Moderator)
  Mary Engle - Associate Director for Advertising Practices, FTC
  Jonathan Gelfand - General Counsel, Product Partners

  Conference Dates: Oct 5-6
  Place: W Hotel New York, NY
  Information & Registration: http://bit.ly/NARCcon
  
  Brands Jam Session!
  Join WOMMA’s WOM Enthusiast John Moore for a brands-only learning session. John has real world brand marketing experience with his days at Starbucks and Whole Foods.  The jam session is an interactive webinar in which John will be fielding your audio questions and offering up key advice that will make you more effective.
  Join the conversation and learn:
  - How to better sell your out-of-the-box ideas internally
  - How to show results for your WOM and Social Media efforts
  - How to be part of the team despite being a team of one
  When: Tuesday, Oct. 6
  Time:  12pm PST | 2pm CST | 3pm EST
  Register Here: http://womma.org/brandscouncil/jamsessions/

  

  

   

• Web π.0
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 9:06 am on September 30, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Creative WOM Ideas (256)

  Two years ago, researchers at UC Berkeley set out to create a truly scientific product review site, GoodGuide.com. The idea sprung from one of the unfixable aspects of Web 2.0, people being wrong. Of course an opinion isn’t something that can actually be wrong but the “facts” that opinions are based on can be. Dara O’Rourke, the project’s leader, designed the site to review products based on health, environmental, and social impact. Seventy-five thousand reviews later, the ad free site is drawing millions of consumers and several brands looking for advice on how to improve their rating. Some retailers are even trying to get the rating on the products on their shelves. The future of GoodGuide.com looks promising, but it also says something about the value consumers place on unbiased research. Even though the scientific method doesn’t inspire a lot of conversations, the trust in it does.
  More on the science of ratings at AdAge
  http://adage.com/article?article_id=139295

  

  

   

• Sharing is Sexy
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 9:04 am on September 30, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: WOM Trends (738)

  Forget search engine optimization, think about sharing optimization. You have probably noticed that before and after every article you read there are a slew of icons that help you share it on any number of social media outlets. These are essential for the author to build readership. Just like products, personal references for reading material are extremely effective. This isn’t new to the publishing game, but the influencers have changed. The chatty elites who used to be the go to source for pumping up a publication are no longer in power. Twitter, Facebook and the like have made all of us potential publishing influencers. This has opened the market and spurred a lot of articles that may have been passed over in years past.
  More on the power of a referral at The New York Times

  

  

   

• Word of Mouth the 24/7 Open House
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 8:33 am on September 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: WOM How-to (591)

  When a company decides to get into word of mouth marketing, they need to understand that they are opening a door that can’t be closed. Once your consumers start having a conversation with you, they won’t want to stop. A lot of the time, this means adjusting to how the world finds out information about your company. PR nightmares in WOM are usually the result of a poorly developed strategy. Companies also need to stay on top of the conversation. Detractors can do a lot of shouting. If you aren’t there to counter them, no matter how ridiculous their claims might be, the public could believe them. So whose word is it in “word-of-mouth?” Everyone’s, don’t forget it.
  More on consumer chatter at Mass Device

  

  

   

• WOMMY Awards & Summit 2009 news
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 8:31 am on September 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Summit 2009 (53), WOMMYs (46)

  3 days until early bird registration for Summit 2009 ends. Register early and save $200.
  6 days left to submit your work for a WOMMY Award.

  WOMMY Award of the day – Multinational Award: Products travels across borders and so do WOM campaigns. If you got made a brand talkable across borders, submit your work to the WOMMYs.

  

  

   

• What Now WOMMA?
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 8:29 am on September 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Webinar (210), WOM Education (94)

  Education:
  WOM-COMM: Best Practices in Ethical and Effective Word of Mouth and Social Media Marketing. WOM-COMM is a six-week online program in which participants who successfully complete the course requirements receive a certificate of completion. Pick up the skills that will enable you to maximize WOM tools as part of an overall integrated marketing campaign. Classes begin October 6th!

  What You’ll Learn:
  - Gain insight into the role of social media and how it fits into an integrated marketing campaign
  - Understand the requirements for successful social media tools: what to do and not to do
  - Develop a social media strategy
  - How to sustain a social media operation inside the enterprise or small business
  - How to make sure your organization complies with ethical WOM practice
  - How to incorporate measurement into the marketing decision making process.
  Our instructors are industry leaders: http://womma.org/certificate/instructors/
  Register Here: http://womma.org/certificate/

  Webinars:
  Tomorrow we are bringing you a webinar from J.D. Power & Associates on understanding Generation Y with social media.
  Presenter: Janet Eden-Harris, Vice President
  Co-Presenter: Miya Murata, Director, Consumer Insights & Strategy
  Date: Wed. Sept. 30
  Time: 9am PST | 11am CST | 12pm EST
  Price: As free as the air that we breath
  Register Here: http://bit.ly/JDPowerWebinar

  Brands Jam Session!
  Join WOMMA’s WOM Enthusiast John Moore for a brands-only learning session. John has real world brand marketing experience with his days at Starbucks and Whole Foods.  The jam session is an interactive webinar in which John will be fielding your audio questions and offering up key advice that will make you more effective.
  Join the conversation and learn:
  - How to better sell your out-of-the-box ideas internally
  - How to show results for your WOM and Social Media efforts
  - How to be part of the team despite being a team of one
  When: Tuesday, Oct. 6
  Time:  12pm PST | 2pm CST | 3pm EST
  Register Here: http://womma.org/brandscouncil/jamsessions/

  

  

   

• You Can Tweet but You Can’t Hide
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 8:27 am on September 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: Microblogging (76), WOM Trends (738)

  Location based services (LBS) have been developing for years, but they may explode when Twitter adds an LBS to their platform. One of the best aspects of WOM is targeted marketing. It increases the effectiveness and ROI of any campaign. LBS ups the ante. If a company knows where you are and what you are looking for, they can easily make a connection with you. This may seem a little big brother for most people’s taste (e.g.,  Minority Report, the movie), but with the proper ethics, it can provide very useful consumer advice. It is still in the early stages. Keep an eye out for more.
  More on Location Based Services at Business Week

  

  

   

• A Wine Wednesday Thank You
  
  

  Pat McCarthy 8:26 am on September 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  Tags: WOMMA Events (100)

  We want to thank you for leaving your salesman suits at home and just coming as people looking to make connections… For revitalizing our wavering faith in simple one-on-one interaction without the pretense and for bringing something to the table without all the ’smoke and mirrors.’

  Everyone we met was friendly, articulate and had something to say outside the box.
  The opportunity to speak with our fellow members in such a relaxed atmosphere was eye opening, some of you are working with start-ups and others with well established companies, all of you seemed to be passionate about what you do and the organizations you are working with. It was our pleasure to be a part of your family for the evening.

  You are a unique group and we would consider it a privilege to work with any one of you.

  Thanks,
  Mike Feuer, CBO
  and Team MindSmack

  Web Development, Web Design, Post Production, Production
  http://www.MindSmack.TV
  http://www.MindSmack.com
  Twitter:@MindSmackTV