These
days it seems like every other week a new study is released confirming
the fall of traditional advertising, and the rise of new media
practices, like Word of Mouth marketing.
The latest study contributing
to this trend is from Forrester Research and the Association of
National Advertisers. It found that 62 percent of marketers say
traditional television advertising is losing effectiveness. And, more
than half of the marketers surveyed reported that they are
experimenting with "new media" forms of advertising as an alternative (http://www.ana.net/news/content/1057).
Other
than wishing these results were released on the eve of Super Bowl
Sunday - which would have been cruel - like many, I wasn't shocked by
the outcome of this report. Maybe I've become immune to the fact that
Word of Mouth, and its new media brethren, are gaining popularity. Or,
maybe it's because I experience the results of this study firsthand
everyday.
Regardless,
it got me thinking...as marketers "experiment with 'new media' forms of
advertising as an alternative," what else should we be prepared for as
Word of Mouth practitioners? The word "experiment" being the key.
How
about navigating the internal politics of marketing departments to help
these pioneering marketers take the right kind of risks? Or,
tailoring Word of Mouth metrics in a way that gives individual brands
true ROI for their efforts? Or, counseling marketers through the
exciting two-way, real-time dialogue that will happen as they create
live channels for brand evangelists to engage them?
For those of us in
the WOM trenches, these are the exciting side effects of encouraging
studies like the recent one from Forrester Research. However, as these
surveys continue to make a case for Word of Mouth, practitioners must
informally study the marketplace as well. And, anticipate the questions
these ground-breaking studies don't ask.
