Monday, March 26, 2007
Word Of Mouth
Like most great ideas (!)A new way of advertising, from the US to set to hit these shores. It seems that most of us do not buy into the claims made by adverts and the like, with revenues falling, the companies that be have hit upon a new way of pushing their products. Unpaid volunteers will be send free products that they will be encouraged to discus with their friends/ strangers. My boy Mike hyped me to this, and said that we all do this to some extent already. Whilst this is true, I hope this new 'idea' fails. What could be worse than a friend (or a complete stranger) going on about a product greatness. It would totally put me off. And I'm not so sure I agree with my learned friend Mike, regarding that fact that we do this already. I can't remember the last time me, or Mike, or any friend of mine had a conversation about the greatness of my Branded TV, jeans, MP3 player, or the like. Besides if we do, we do it out of a genuine love for that product, not because Adidas have kindly sent us a product to push. I like many have been a victim to adverts, which have caused me to spend money that I haven't got to purchase something I don't need. I mean you tell me, does U2 advertising the latest limited addition Ipod, or Kate Moss pushing Rimmel make-up products make you want to purchase said items? Saying that I do rely on certain brands. I love Kellogg’s Cornflakes, and I have found Sony products to be reliable, and I like the cuts of Levi jeans. So maybe I am a prime candidate for said products. It's got to the point that giant companies that sponsored every thing, from the premier league, to Big Brother, to children's programme (especially around Christmas). I have often wondered what return companies get from this form of advertising. Who knows I could be wrong, and word-of-mouth advertising is the newest craze for 2007. I think that this is another desperate measure from companies who have realised that we DON'T buy into the hype.
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2 comments:
Boy...having done the whole TV thing where my clothes, hair cuts and shoes were all provided free of charge on a weekly basis I'd be a bit of a hypocrite now wouldn't I if I said I didn't love freeness.
This idea is fantastic! What a great way for you to pass onto your mates and loved ones the benefits of products you truly stand behind and what greater reward...you get to keep the iPod, Phillips Plasma TV, Ecko Coat...All this has got me feeling thirsty...Diet Cola anyone?
I think most of us do buy into the hype, even those of use who don't walk about every day covered head to toe in top brands. If we didn't, companies wouldn't spend millions on advertising the way they do.
Because we are so used to being 'advertised at' they just want to find a way to make their advertsing even more personal and relevant to you as an individual - and what better way than through a trusted source - your mate, mum etc. The companies get to increase their sales by harnessing and controlling what is already happening naturally through, like you say, a genuine love of a product and boost their profits all for the price of a few freebies, what a bargain!
And people probably will happily do it too, like Mike says, we all love a freebie.
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