As we have learned in our books Citizen Marketers, and The New Influencers word of mouth is usually the most powerful type of advertising out there. A good or bad review to a friend can sometimes make or break a company. We have seen the influence of things like Dell Hell, or the Comcast commercial, which simply involves one user speaking their mind about a product or service that they liked or didn't like.
With all the power being placed into the hands of the user/consumer I couldn't help but think companies, must be really scared right now. The idea of brand loyalty really means something now, because the importance of keeping your customers happy could mean whether or not you keep your job. So a lot of companies have offered outlets for users and consumers to voice their opinion. The problem with this is usually these outlets are only available on the companies websites, and don't allow users to really voice their opinions in an open forum environment.
So when my boss at Undercurrent told me to checkout the website LoyalTV because we were going to be working with them, I was pretty intrigued. Much like youtube, it is a video social network where people can review products, services, websites, or companies, and interact with other users who may or may not feel the same way. The cool thing is most of the time the reviews are posted by people who just simply love a product or a service and are speaking genuinely. So, even though I'm getting paid in an indirect way for the promotion of the website, I think its a pretty smart idea, and definitely shows the power of the new influencer in the social media world that we live in.
3 comments:
I agree that the power that word of mouth has is endless. I have bought so many products because of reviews I got from friends and family. Sometimes it is hard to trust some of the ads that are out their. I agree that brand loyalty is really important today. I also think it's great that consumers have forums to express their comments and reviews on products.
I really think this is a cool tool. It is similar to the Consumerist, but in video form. I like to see what people have to say about products. It really helps when you go to purchase something, if you know what previous users likes and dislikes were. It can help you get more out of the product you are looking at, or it can help you choose an entirely different product.
Word of mouth is super powerful. Hell it's the only reason I bought a MAC. But I think its pretty scary that the main point of success for a company now really depends on how people talk it up. Its not even about brainwashing people anymore.
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