Together, the three-company network consists of 750,000 volunteers, with an immediate reach upwards of nine million consumers. No WOM organization can impact as many consumers in as many countries as this group, it says.

Buzzador operates in its home nation of Sweden, as well as in Finland, Norway and Denmark. U.S.-based BzzAgent also covers Canada and the U.K. TRND is headquartered in Germany, and its consumer network extends to Austria and Switzerland.

A sign of the increasing use of WOM as a viable medium--as well as the emergence of consumer-friendly ethical standards--the organizations already share upwards of 20 brand clients, including Philips and Unilever.--Nina Lentini

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