A call for WOM case studies
May I make a purely selfish request? I'd love it if those of you who will post case studies of where you've put WOM marketing into action. While I appreciate theory and principles as much as the next person, I need to see examples of practical application.
Any documentation you may have, whether it comes in the form of white papers, blog posts, articles, etc, would be greatly appreciated. While not wishing to detract from Ben and Jackie's vision for this site, it would be OK with me if, in addition to it being the Society for Word of Mouth, that it also became the "University" of WOM as well.
Any documentation you may have, whether it comes in the form of white papers, blog posts, articles, etc, would be greatly appreciated. While not wishing to detract from Ben and Jackie's vision for this site, it would be OK with me if, in addition to it being the Society for Word of Mouth, that it also became the "University" of WOM as well.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dan Heimbrock on -
OK Paul, here is a case history that is currently active...
Brand of healthy pasta called Dreamfields Pasta which was launched in 2005 as part of the low carb food craze, a bit late to the game because it was new technology for making dry pasta. National distribution via supermarkets came together due to the manufacturer's position as the #3 pasta maker and #1 private label brand maker - Dakota Growers. Sales were solid backed with national advertising in magazines with FSI coupons, spot radio, and other traditional advertising. But then low carb began to fade and so did sales growth for this new brand.
My company handles the interactive and influencer marketing duties for the brand and we recommended stepping up consumer and professional word of mouth activity in late 2006. We started a consumer Taste & Tell Team recruiting a few thousand loyal customers via email to begin talking about the brand with friends and family. We mailed some samples and $1.00 off trial coupons (about 30,000) in the first wave. The response was amazing. Nearly 90% of the people that signed up to talk about the brand responded back to us that they had started on average 10 conversations about Dreamfields, with many resulting in a new consumer interested in trying the brand. The coupon redemption rates were off the scale, not your normal 2%. Rather, 10 times that rate resulting in a new trier for the brand.
In 2007 we added professional influencers like Dietitians, Nutritionists, and Certified Diabetes Educators. In less than a year we attracted participation from over 5,000 professionals who agree to hand our coupon and information flyer directly into the hands of our target buyers: diabetics that crave comfort foods like pasta. So far over 1/2 million coupons were distributed in the last 9 months and the brand experienced its highest sales periods ever with sustained growth month after month. Traditional advertising is still a part of the mix, but the marketing savings by employing word-of-mouth have contributed very substantially to the brand's bottom line.
Anyone interested in trying Dreamfields Pasta for your self, just visit www.dreamfieldsfoods.com and download the trial coupon, taste the delicious authentic flavor, then tell three friends. Repeat. Thanks for reading.
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Permalink Reply by Mark G on -
Ok Paul,
not so much a Case Study, as a very real and recent practical example of how to generate WOM.
It's posted in my blog here...
It details how Future Now and The Soccer Mom Myth went to extraordinary lengths to send me a free copy of this book.
The result being I'm telling everybody I can what they did and about the book, before I've even read it.
It's a great story so please read the post.
Comments too, will be appreciated and reciprocated.
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Permalink Reply by sean mcnally on -
Mark,
I got a copy too... I was comment number 9!
Michele and the guys at Future Now are friends of mine and really good people too!
Hope you're diggin' it as much as I am.
-sean
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Permalink Reply by sean mcnally on
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Paul,
I've posted our FREE approach in the forum and it was mentioned in the update today.
-sean
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Permalink Reply by Mark G on
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Paul,
of course this whole site is a case of WOM in action.
It would be great if Ben or Jackie could give us a more in depth history of how it got started and then regular updates as to how it's spreading, what's being achieved etc
The best thing is we're all part of it, so it's a really great opportunity to be involved in something really unique.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Chaney on
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I agree with your assessment. I'd like to see Ben and Jackie use SWOM as a case study in how a vibrant community can be built. Ben, Jackie? What do you think? Care to chronicle this for posterity sake? (Or prosperity sake, which is more like it!)
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