WOMMA is an acronym for the newly-formed Word-of-Mouth Marketer’s Association. It is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry, and according to the site, a collection of “fantastic brands and marketers who know that happy customers are our most powerful advocates”. It’s mission is to promote and improve word of mouth marketing by:
* Protecting consumers and the industry with strong ethical guidelines
* Promoting WOM as an effective marketing tool
* Setting standards to encourage its use
Interestingly, they have made a pretty strong statement when relating WOM to conventional marketing and advertising channels (I would have assumed WOM would be a sub-category of conventional marketing), by setting up a WOM vs. Advertising blog and following it up with a conference, headed up by heynote speaker, author and marketing guru Seth Godin. It’s almost as if they’re implying that WOM could replace conventional advertising as we know it.
The blog and conference will seek to answer a number of questions relating to the role of marketing and advertising in the new connection economy. The site lists some of these:
# How does WOM impact your advertising?
# How does your advertising impact WOM?
# Does advertising inspire or inhibit WOM?
# Does product experience replace marketing?
# Are you part of the conversation?
# Are happy customers your greatest ads?
# Is WOM marketing or a corporate philosophy?
I believe this is a space to watch. Even if WOMMA is a collection of extremists who are perhaps a little too enthusiastic about revolutionising tried and tested methodologies, they are still creating some very interesting conversation and debate. If your company or organisation gives a damn about understanding the mind of the consumer, it may be worth your while to participate in the discussion.
WOMMA and The Deathmatch
I believe that WOM is the one of the authentic forms of ‘advertising’. Because it’s based on a customer’s real experience of a product or service. Not hyped by PR or glitzed up by special effects and airbrushed models. If I, as a customer, am going to recommend a product or service to a friend or business associate, then I will ensure that I am perfectly happy with that product or service. Because it’s also my credibility at stake.
Companies who want to take advantage of WOM can’t offer half-baked products or services, because it’s a matter of time before people unmask you.
And the negative side of WOM is that once I’ve had a bad experience, I will NEVER go back to using that product or service. Even if they re-package, introduce a new advertising campaign or throw large amounts of money into sponsorship. And I’ve also taken great pains to spread the word to 50 of my closest friends.
So companies should remember that you can’t ignore WOM. If you aren’t focusing on creating a positive WOM experience, you are laying the groundwork for a bad WOM experience.