Charting the 9 Word of Mouth Planets

Some word of mouth is not like the others. In fact, the variability on how word of mouth works and what types of outcomes get produced vary even more BETWEEN its 9 constituents types than TV, Radio, Magazine and Outdoor do in a traditional world.

Here's our take on the 9 main types of word of mouth and where they fit into your marketing mix.

Quadrant 1 - Targeted Excitement (User Generated Content, Consumer Generated Media, Affiliate Marketing)
- places a premium on finding passionate and motivated group/tribe of supporters
- key measure - participation, content, traffic

Quadrant 2 - Broader Audience Excitement  (Viral, Social and Buzz)
- places a premium on scaling up exposure and passalong quickly
- key measure - traffic, impressions/PR, excitement

Quadrant 3 - Broader Audience Intimacy (Community, Cause Marketing)
- places a premium on incubating a large group of people who care about a brand or idea
- key measure - brand evangelism, insight/collaboration, brand affinity/relevance

Quadrant 4 - Targeted Intimacy (Influencer, Experiential)
- places a premium on identifying and inviting the right people to participate   
- key measure - brand advocacy/net promoter score, participation, excitement