• DM News, Tuesday, February 5, 2008 11:45 AM

Philips decision to supplement a traditional TV buy by promoting its Sonicare electric toothbrush through a professional word-of-mouth marketing campaign in 2005 is part of a growing trend. Spending on word-of-mouth marketing hit $981 million in 2006, up from $722 million the previous year, making it one of the fastest growing nontraditional marketing sectors in the U.S., according to PQ Media.

In a ROI-obsessed world, perhaps the strongest argument against WOM wasn't that it was deceptive, but that it was not measurable. Today, WOM is an accepted part of the marketing mix and has its own set of ethical guidelines and measurement techniques.

Clients of BzzAgent, which handled the Sonicare WOM campaign, receive a range of data, including how many people were communicated with, what type of people are being reached and a net promoter score--which is a single-question scoring system that aligns recommendations with future sales. This score is calculated by subtracting the number of detractors from promoters. Information on ROI is also provided, such as coupon redemption rates, test and control marketplace returns and intent to purchase.

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