Word of Mouth is Valued
Yes, the title of this article is obvious, but it is the focus of a recent Nielsen study. The main finding from the study was that 78% of Web users around the globe think that consumer opinions are the most effective mode of advertising.
Besides highlighting the obvious, the conclusion drawn by Nielsen further shows that “marketers need to focus as much attention on what consumers say about their brands online as they do on creating the brand Web sites themselves,” according to Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst at eMarketer.
“The easiest thing to do is to make consumer feedback an essential part of every brand Web site,” she added.
“Recommendations from consumers” (i.e. word of mouth, the study is quick to point out) topped the list of the most trusted forms of advertising with a 78% response from the 26,486 respondents located in 47 markets around the world.
“Newspapers” was a distant second with a 63% response, while “Consumer opinions posted online” was third with 61%. “Brand Web sites” was fourth with 60%.
“Text ads on mobile phones” (18%), “Online banner ads” (26%), and “Search engine ads” (34%) were the bottom three forms of trusted advertising on the list.
A study conducted by GFK Roper Consulting in June 2006 found that 81% of respondents in the U.S. listed “Word of mouth” as the most trustworthy source for purchase ideas and information, compared to 70% of respondents worldwide.
DoubleClick conducted a survey in January 2007 which showed that when buying a product or service, 92% of males listed a friend’s recommendation as the most influential, while 95% of female respondents agreed. Magazine ads and television ads were second and third, respectively.
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