Tools Measure Impact of Word of Mouth

The US-based Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) has released a Terminology Framework to specify reliable ways of tracking and quantifying the effects of word of mouth (WOM) marketing. The Framework will be discussed at WOMMA's conference in Chicago tomorrow - an event that managed to sell out entirely by word of mouth.

More than 30 analytics experts from business and academia worked for six months on the Framework, under the banner of WOMMA's Research and Metrics Council. The Council is chaired by Ed Keller, CEO, GfK NOP (and co-author of 'The Influentials'); Jonathan Carson, CEO, Buzzmetrics; and Dr. David Godes, Harvard Business School.

WOMMA is also releasing a journal, 'Measuring Word of Mouth', which features 30 articles about measurement and metrics in the world of WOM. Together, the documents attempt to explain not only how to track and measure WOM marketing, but also which strategies work best, how to optimise messages, and why consumers become advocates or detractors of products or services.

According to WOMMA's CEO Andy Sernovitz: 'Word of mouth marketing has a direct impact on all other marketing initiatives. If you can't measure word of mouth, you can't effectively measure the rest of your marketing either.'

A copy of the new Terminology Framework is available at www.womma.org/research

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.