Comments on: And I'll Tell Two Friends…

By: What the hell is wrong with being marketed to? - WinExtra

What the hell is wrong with being marketed to? - WinExtra — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:23:06 +0000

[...] was a continuation of a comment he left on a post by SuzeMuse where she was talking about how it is okay to spread the word about a product if you found it but [...]

By: Fine Print » Blog Archive » Social Media Product Placement

Fine Print » Blog Archive » Social Media Product Placement — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:01:55 +0000

[...] SuzeMuse blogged about how she tells all her friends about products she likes, and that word of mouth marketing can’t be forced. I played devil’s advocate and posted a comment; here’s the edited version: “You find a product (by yourself), you like it, and so you tell all your friends. Cool. So, on the flip side, if a company searches you out and says ‘try our product, and if you like it, tell all your friends,’ then there’s only one more step there that’s different — the fact that you didn’t ‘find’ the product you liked by yourself, but a company did (by making it, and promoting it onto you). Would you not tell all your friends just to be obstinate, admit defeat that you were marketed to? Even though you may really like the product?” [...]

By: John Carson

John Carson — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:23:54 +0000

““Try our shampoo for the ridiculously thick-haired! If you like it, then get on Twitter and tell all your friends!”, I would be much less inclined to spread the word. Why? Because I KNOW I’m being marketed to.”

Point taken, Sue. I work in social media and see this discussion a lot.

But, now I am starting to think a bit differently. You find a product you like (by yourself), you like it, and so you tell all your friends. Cool.

So, on the flip side, if a company searches you out and says “try our product, and if you like it, tell all your friends,” then there’s only one more step there that’s different — the fact that you didn’t “find” the product you liked by yourself, but a company did (by making it, and promoting it onto you).

Would you not tell all your friends just to be obstinate, admit defeat that you were marketed to? Even though you may really like the product?

I hope you can see the point I’m trying to make. Anyway, nice post and I will link to it today on my company blog as I want to try and expand on this theme.

Cheers,
JC.

By: Tom Curran

Tom Curran — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:41:38 +0000

I recently read “The Tipping Point”
by Malcolm Gladwell……
He talks about just this topic of word of mouth in great detail. If you are serious about why some things catch on and others don’t…why one product sells like hotcakes….. why something so cool and wonderful never took off like you thought it should….this book is well worth reading.

My business is entirely word of mouth. I don’t advertise. My customers come to me predisposed to have me make something they need. This is the best way to do business, I am convinced.

How this works with the web, I am not yet sure. I am dabbling with blogs and sites, but it’s mostly to catalog my work, something I can direct my existing or potential customers to.

Tom

By: Miz Liz

Miz Liz — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:32:42 +0000

Guilty as charged this am. But I’m not tweeting to spread the word about a product or company today. I strongly believe that chinese medicine holds great promise for the future of western medicine and want to shout it from the rooftops. And then remind folks to do likewise. Sometimes a gentle nudge to RT can start the echo. Othertimes, its; just obnoxious.

Thanks Suze!