The WOMMA Word

Non-Profit WOM

Pat McCarthy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:09:29 +0000

According to a recent study by Champion Exposition Services, 83% of associations currently use one or more digital tools to market and execute their events. You can see some fine examples of this (shameless promotion warning) in WOMMA’s marketing of our Summit 2009 conference. Apparently other trade associations are also using a variety of social media platforms, blogs, and online video. The survey also found that 91% plan to use more digital tools in the next twelve months. Numbers as high as these indicate a clear industry trend and deserve some explanation. Non-profits are always trying to get their message out to their members and the general public for as little money as possible. The digital tools available are generally less expensive than mass mailings or print advertising. They also benefit from increased connection with their members. Planning an event involves many challenges about how the potential attendees feel about the agenda, venue, date, etc. Social tools help alleviate many of these concerns because of the increased connection to the marketplace.
Read more on the study at Mi Mega Site

WOMMA is Proud to Announce Our New Board!

Pat McCarthy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:07:36 +0000

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) today announced the results of its board elections, which were held via mail and online ballots between October 20 and November 3. Five members were newly elected to serve on WOMMA’s Board of Directors. The new board consists of:

David Binkowski of New York City; Senior Vice President of WOM, Manning, Salvage and Lee
Christine Cea of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; Brand Public Relations Director, Unilever
Sarah Hofstetter of New York City; Senior Vice President, Emerging Media & Client Strategy, 360i
Gary Spangler of Wilmington, Del.; Corporate, E-Marketing, DuPont
David Witt of Minneapolis; Senior Manager, Brand Public Relations, General Mills

New board members begin their terms at January 1, 2010.

In addition, WOMMA also announced that the following members will comprise the 2010 Executive Committee:
Paul Rand; President and CEO, Zocalo Group - WOMMA President
Rod Brooks; Chief Marketing Officer, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company - WOMMA President-Elect
John Bell; Managing Director/Executive Creative Director, 360° Digital Influence Ogilivy Public Relations Worldwide - WOMMA Past President
Stuart Sheldon; President, Atlanta Division of Escalate - Member At Large
David Rabjohns; President, MotiveQuest - Member At Large
Matt Moog; Founder and CEO, Viewpoints Network - Member At Large

Happy WOMidays!

Pat McCarthy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:04:39 +0000

As the holiday season starts to role in, many brands are gearing up their marketing blitz. For more than just a few, this will be their first holiday season using WOM. This will prove to be a difficult season because of the recession. Every effort counts. Brands in all types of business have held small scale WOM experiments throughout the year. We will keep our eyes on the big gun techniques that emerge this season.
Read more on brands preparing WOM for the holiday season at Reuters

What Now WOMMA?

Pat McCarthy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:03:21 +0000

We are looking for whitepapers to add to our website and member center. Our content sharing agreement with the AMA could mean that your whitepaper will not only be featured on our site but theirs also! Get your submissions in before Dec. 1 or forever hold your peace. Email them to Tarah@WOMMA.org.

Member Webinar:
Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST (11:00 AM – 12 Noon PST)
Your customers are shaping the perception of your brand all over the web – do you have a strategy? Jeremiah Owyang of the Altimeter Group will offer suggestions on developing a strategy for brands at a time when social media tools have enabled customer conversations everywhere. Joining Jeremiah is Jennifer Gordon, Campbell’s Soup’s director of Global Advertising and WOMMA member Peter Friedman, CEO of LiveWorld.
Get answers to questions like:
- How should I respond to tools like Google Sidewiki, which puts social content on my website whether I want it or not?
- Should I create social networks on my brand’s site or join other networks?
- How do I manage my brand as conversations become splintered?
- How can I stay on top of the growing array of choices and challenges that face marketers in the age of “social everywhere?”
Register today at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/601099177

FDA Hearings Resources:
John Bell has penned a blog post that goes over what will be discussed at the Nov. 12 TweetUp. He and Tony DiResta will answer the following three questions:
1. For what online communications are manufacturers, packers, or distributors accountable?
2. What parameters should apply to the posting of corrective information on Web sites controlled by third parties?
3. What does this mean for adverse events reporting?
Read the full post here: http://bit.ly/JohnBellPost

WOMMA FDA & Social Media Hearing Analysis
Presenters: John Bell, WOMMA President & Managing Director, Oglivy PR, and Tony DiResta, WOMMA General Counsel
When: Thurs. Nov. 12
Time: 6:30-8:30pm EST
Where: The Mall, 1111 19th St. NW, 10th floor, Washington, D.C. 2003
Info: http://bit.ly/FDATweetUpInfo
RSVP: http://bit.ly/FDATweetUp

WOM UK Espresso Briefing
Title: “Monitoring and analysing WOM in real time to enable adaptive brand planning
Date: 24th November
Register & Breakfast: 8:30am
Presentation: 9:00 - 10:30am
Speakers: Andrew Needham, CEO, Face, and Francesco D’Orazio, Head of Social Media & Planning, Face
Venue: 7-8 Midford Place, London W1T 5B
To Register, email julian.ferguson@womuk.org

Hola WOM

Pat McCarthy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:01:11 +0000

An often ignored section of the American populous is the Hispanic market. As WOM marketing becomes a more popular tool, many brands will be interested in starting conversations in the Hispanic community. The first step in this process is a large amount of research. One of the tricky things about WOM is that it has a great potential to sell products, but it can also reveal a vast disconnection between the brand and consumer. Extensive research will minimize potential backlash. A clear vision of the market will lead to a quality campaign. Luckily WOM marketing can take hold with any community and in any language just as long as the connection is authentic.
Read more on WOM campaigns in the Hispanic community at Media Post

Viral Fashion

Pat McCarthy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:09:46 +0000

Ann Sofie Back is a Swedish designer that has spent her career ruffling feathers with askew aesthetic designs. She recently made a move back to Sweden after 12 years working in London. After a career of topping “worst dressed” lists and being called out by the world’s fashion police, she decided to embrace her image. She planned a store whose merchandise was comprised completely of unwanted items from past seasons. To promote the store, her ad firm, We Are Group, shot four YouTube videos that showed Back as a prisoner of three Anna Wintour facsimiles being held for her crimes against fashion. Her captors urged the viewer to come to the store to examine the evidence against her. The ploy was such a hit that Back is worried the store might run out of stock. Back may be a WOM genius. Her style always gets people talking, but she had the ingenuity to embrace and use her reputation to keep the conversation moving.
Read more on “The Hostage Store” at The New York Times

What Now WOMMA?

Pat McCarthy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:06:02 +0000

Member Webinar:
Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST (11:00 AM – 12 Noon PST)
Your customers are shaping the perception of your brand all over the web – do you have a strategy?   Jeremiah Owyang of the Altimeter Group will offer suggestions on developing a strategy for brands at a time when social media tools have enabled customer conversations everywhere.   Joining Jeremiah is Jennifer Gordon, Campbell’s Soup’s director of Global Advertising and WOMMA member Peter Friedman, CEO of LiveWorld.
Get answers to questions like:
-       How should I respond to tools like Google Sidewiki, which puts social content on my website whether I want it or not?
-       Should I create social networks on my brand’s site or join other networks?
-       How do I manage my brand as conversations become splintered?
-       How can I stay on top of the growing array of choices and challenges that face marketers in the age of “social everywhere?”
Register today at: whttps://wwb1.gotomeeting.com/register/601099177

FDA Hearings Resources:
John Bell has penned a blog post that goes over what will be discussed at the Nov. 12 TweetUp. He and Tony DiResta will answer the following three questions:
1. For what online communications are manufacturers, packers, or distributors accountable?
2. What parameters should apply to the posting of corrective information on Web sites controlled by third parties?
3. What does this mean for adverse events reporting?
Read the full post here: http://bit.ly/JohnBellPost

WOM UK Espresso Briefing
Title: “Monitoring and analysing WOM in real time to enable adaptive brand planning
Date: 24th November
Register & Breakfast: 8.30am
Presentation: 9 - 10.30am
Speakers: Andrew Needham, CEO, Face, and Francesco D’Orazio, Head of Social Media & Planning, Face
Venue: 7-8 Midford Place, London W1T 5B
To Register, email julian.ferguson@womuk.org

Get Listed

Pat McCarthy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:28 +0000

An ambitious project is underway. Social Media Consultants Simplyzesty is trying to compile lists of everyone in a country. The idea started with Ireland and has since moved on to the entire UK and US. It is essentially an experiment in crowdsourcing populations. Ireland was a hit, but it was built by hand. The UK and US have scripts written to automatically build the lists. Want to get listed? Tweet “I want to get listed #TwitterIllinois” or whatever state you live in. Across the pond? Tweet “#TwitterEssex” or whatever county you are in. Lists are important in WOM marketing. Generally we look more for targeted data, but something like this is hard to ignore.
Read more on the project at EU TechCrunch

Summit 2009 News – Attendee List Now Available

Pat McCarthy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:58:48 +0000

Sneak a peek of who’s coming to Summit 2009!
For the list of companies and job titles, visit http://womma.org/summit09/Summit-2009-Attendee-List.pdf

WOM & Social Media Hospitality Style
This half-day seminar is a must-attend event for those responsible for helping their hospitality companies understand and apply the fast-evolving strategies, tactics, and issues involved with Social Media and Word of Mouth marketing. Who should attend? We recommend:
• Hospitality marketing professionals
• CMO’s – General Managers
• Directors/Managers of Brand Quality
• Directors/Managers of Marketing
• Directors/Managers of Communications
• Directors/Managers of PR
• Customer Care Specialists
• Destination Sales Managers
• Marketing & Promotions Managers
• Special Events Managers
• Internet Marketing Specialists
• e-Marketing and New Media Managers
More info and registration: http://bit.ly/HospitalityWOM

Olympic Size WOM

Pat McCarthy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:57:31 +0000

The City of Poznan is a bustling Polish college city that recently launched its bid for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. The cornerstone of their marketing is a wide range of social media outlets. They want to engage the youth worldwide instead of just locally. In the first few days, they gained thousands of supporters. Generating buzz across borders often proves difficult because of language barriers and cultural differences. Social media has emerged as a unifying force because of its ubiquitous appeal. Through all the different platforms, Poznan can show the photos, stories and culture of the city to the rest of the world better than with traditional media.
Read more on how Poznan is marketing its bit at Around the Rings