Nearly every person raised in the U.S. knows Betty Crocker. She represents home cooking, good housekeeping, and wholesomeness. And she’s entirely fake.

She was invented by the Washburn Crosby Company as a way to personally respond to consumers’ questions. In 1945, Fortune magazine named her the second most popular American woman, bested only by Eleanor Roosevelt.

How did a fake person rise to such prominence? Could it be that Betty was the only person who responded to questions asked of a company?

On Monday, Steve Knox showed how consumer brand trust is falling. Yet it isn’t falling among friends and family. And neither are impressions.

Research from the Keller Fay Group found that of the 250 billion social media “impressions” every year, only 10% are actually seen. This is due to fast moving and algorithm-based newsfeeds. Simply showing up in a newsfeed hardly means the user has seen a post.

However, 750 billion offline brand impressions happen every year too. And nearly every one of those is a real impression. The data consistently shows that 90% of word of mouth happens offline. Only 8% is online (Text 2%; email 2%; social 4%). The final 2% are categorized as “other.”

The difference isn’t just in volume. Reason is a factor too.

The Keller Fay Group’s research found that there are three main reasons people share: social signaling, functional reasons, and emotional sharing. These reasons vary in importance depending on whether the sharer is online or offline. The motivations break down like this:

Online

1. Social signaling
2. Functional reasons
3. Emotional sharing

Offline

1. Emotional sharing
2. Functional reasons
3. Social signaling

Emotional sharing – That’s where you find words like love and hate. That’s where people communicate as they truly are. Ed and Brad highlighted a quote from MIT professor Sherry Turkle:

“We are tempted to think that our little ‘sips’ of online connections add up to a big gulp of real conversation. But they don’t.”

So how does a brand start conversations offline?

Start with your story. Tap the right talkers. And choose your channels wisely. One excellent example comes from a product category known for its lack of conversations – feminine hygiene. Kotex saw how vague ads and cultural pressures limited the product conversation. So they turned the conversation on its head.

Key Takeaway: Social Media have opened a huge new world of communication, but it hasn’t replaced the value of true face-to-face conversations.

Ed Keller and Brad Fay’s book, The Face-to-Face Book: Why real relationships rule in the digital marketplace, will be available May 22. Buy it here.

Rod Brooks, VP & CMO, PEMCO

Paul Rand, WOMMA President & Zocalo Group CEO

Why are you going to WOMMA’s What’s Best/What’s Next Summit?

Paul Rand: Nearly every brand now recognizes the power of having a deliberate and measurable WOM/Social Media program as part of their marketing mix.  And many of the industry’s leading thought leaders from around the world will be at the Summit – both speaking and attending.  

I’m equally excited to see what’s been working best for brands and organizations in Facebook, influencer marketing and in-market WOM events – and to see what’s coming next – particularly in mobile marketing,  location-based marketing and research and measurement.  I’ve consistently found the WOMMA Summit to be the one industry event that I learn something important and connect with people that are at the forefront of our industry.

Rod Brooks: For me, it’s all about the people… All kinds of people.  After all without people there wouldn’t be word of mouth in the first place.  WOMMA Summits have been bringing people together for years. People from brands, people from service providers, people who research, people who tweet, blog, chat, update and more.  There are people with experience and people who are just getting started. People with tools to help you measure, share and inform, and people with insights, opinions, data and facts.

Two of the things I enjoy most are the case studies and keynotes.  I never fail to learn something new at a WOMMA Summit and this year’s focus on “what’s new and what’s next” is certain to be no exception.  I’m looking forward to seeing friends from prior WOMMA events and to making new ones.  The opportunity to network and share is always a highlight.

What’s the one or two things you expect to take away from this year’s event?

Paul Rand: The WOM and Social Media space continues to go through a dramatic evolution.  It’s hard not to feel behind.  I find it extremely beneficial to learn what’s really working for both brands and marketers.  And to learn what’s not working so I can steer clear.   I know that I will walk away from the Summit with at least a handful of new ideas that I can implement tomorrow.  And I’ll know what I need to focus on for the coming year.

Rod Brooks: It’s becoming clear that Word of Mouth Marketing can’t be ignored.  Whether you call it WOM, Social Media, Social Engagement, or something else, the social exchange of information and insights has found it’s way into the plans of forward thinking CMO’s and marketing leaders in every category of business.  But which of them are being successful at moving word of mouth and social engagement from the marketing department to a more broadly entrenched practice across the business enterprise?

This year I’ll be looking and listening for those stories. I’m excited to hear from Josh Bernoff as he talks about groundswell and how businesses are effectively empowering employees to make a difference wide and deep.

(Oh yeah… The WOMMY Awards are going to be pretty cool too).

——————-

More info and registration here: http://womma.org/summit/

• Spurned Media – Bad WOM spread through the media, usually a result of poor customer service

• Mobilenecking – Think rubbernecking with phones. Easily solved by turning the email alert off and making eye contact.

• Brand Tease – They become a fan and then never visit again. Reign in these aloof fans with engagement.

There are more at the cited article. Let us know if we missed any. We’re always up for more WOM words
Read the rest at the Consumer Generated Media blog

Applying Current FDA Guidelines to Social Media Marketing

When: Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Time: 1pm Pacific | 2pm Central | 3pm Eastern
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/690055002
Cost: Free!
**Open to WOMMA members and healthcare-centric brands & nonprofits only

Presenters:
Gina Ashe - CMO, Sermo
Elizabeth Browning - Founder, BeWell.com
John Serio - Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Moderator:
Ann Moravick - Founder, President of Rx4Good

Overview:
Healthcare and social media are evolving at a rapid pace and changing the landscape forever for physician treatment practices and patient care.

How will social media evolve in the coming years? What promise do social media hold for the betterment of our healthcare system? What role should pharmaceutical companies play in the patient and physician dialogue? These questions will be the focus of the first in a series of WOMMA sponsored healthcare webinars. Our first session will feature three guest speakers each with a unique perspective on the social media environment today.
—————————————————————————————-

Ridley Scott’s Purefold Brings Hollywood and Web 2.0 closer together to turn online audience conversations into premium content

Purefold is one of the most exciting innovations for a decade. Conceived by Ag8, it brings together an open media franchise, combining premium quality content production, distributed storytelling and open license distribution.

Purefold solves some of the key issues facing brands and agencies today:

• How to amplify online audience conversations in a meaningful way
• How to engage with audiences in real-time
• How to bring Hollywood and Web 2.0 closer together
• How to increase adoption and distribution of content through the use of an open license

Date: Thursday 30th July 2009
Speaker: Tom Himpe, Founding Partner Ag8
Location: Grey, 77 Hatton Garden, London ECIN 8JS
Breakfast: 8.30am
Presentation: 9am-10am
Cost: Members £20, Non-members & invited guests £25
Payment: BACS or cheque in advance or cash at the door
To register contact Julian Ferguson on:
Email: julian.ferguson@womuk.org
Phone: 0203 286 4145 or 079 2105 1282
(all prices are inclusive of VAT)

The full story at Tom H.C. Anderson: http://www.tomhcanderson.com/2009/06/23/a-psychological-viewpoint-on-social-networks/