• by Jean Pascal Mathieu , January 2, 2009

Who else would you trust?

Take a look at the results of studies focusing on the factors that influence purchase decisions. Turns out, the most influential influencers of all are those nearest and dearest: family and friends. True, the influence of social media - blogs, forums, product ratings - is gaining ground, but it still carries less weight than our social circles.

In the same vein, if a coworker sends out an email with the message: "I have some 30-percent-off coupons for the Gap on my desk - first come, first served," you can be pretty sure that a second email will arrive soon after, saying, "All gone!" A variation on this theme - "Since you're my friend, I'm sending you this email, which you can print out to get 30 percent off at Gap stores next weekend" - also works pretty well.

The success of "private sale" sites, which recruit new users through referrals, is also well-known. It all goes to show that sponsorships, referrals, exclusive benefits and privileges are powerful recruitment drivers within our personal networks. So you would think we'd be hearing more consumers wonder aloud, "I see what my favorite brands are doing for me, but what are they doing for my friends?"

Since the dawn of marketing, advertisers have sought newer, better ways to persuade and influence their audiences: the expert in a lab coat who hawks toothpaste or detergent; the journalist who provides objective reports; or the stigma of terminal uncoolness for those who fail to buy the right brand of sneakers or cell phone.

Still, there is one lever that brands (with the possible exceptions of Tupperware and Avon) haven't fully exploited, and that is the power of the consumer's immediate circle, her friends and family, who are the most influential vector for word-of-mouth.

Digital media and devices provide a great opportunity for brands to enter that inner circle. Marketers would be wise to give their best customers the means to distribute desirable privileges to their entourage. By giving us the means to do our friends a favor, brands also enable us to gain stature in the eyes of our friends.

After all, it's not Gap that offered me an exclusive 30 percent off, it's my friend Patti - she's the one I owe for sending me the email with the coupon (love that Patti!).

At a time when every brand is wondering how to leverage social networks - fan groups? apps? ads? - I would advise marketers to think about this: What are you currently doing for the friends of your fans?

What if ...

Apple offered me free iTunes songs to give away to friends who were still using mp3 players other than iPods?
Nike let me take a friend along to a sporting event?
Delta Airlines gave me a pile of air miles to distribute to friends of mine who open new frequent-flyer accounts?
BRP invited Spyder owners to bring friends to a local dealership for a test drive?
OMMA enabled me, a subscriber, to give free issues to three of my colleagues?

All of these examples leverage the Web as a simple, efficient and cost-effective channel for providing brand loyalists with exclusive, valuable deals for their friends. Running these semi-viral, semi-private marketing campaigns in the offline world is not feasible, for (obvious) reasons involving dollars and logistics. But unless brands take full advantage of what is possible in the digital space, they are missing out on huge opportunities to enter - without intruding upon - the inner circles of innumerable prospective customers.

Which, after all, is every marketer's dream - right?