J. G. Navarro
Research expert covering advertising and marketing with a focus on South America
Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing and advertising – statistics & facts
Some brands can walk that walk, but can they talk that talk and be the talk of the town? That is the question word-of-mouth (WOM) efforts try to answer with a resounding 'yes,' as few other marketing channels offer such a platform for brand promotion. It assumes that, if more and more people chat about a novelty, their high awareness level will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and consumers will literally buy into it. During a 2023 survey, WOM emerged as internet users' leading source of brand discovery in the United States, reaching about 36 percent of respondents. For comparison, the shares of social media and mobile app advertisements stood slightly below 32 and 21 percent, respectively. While influencer marketing plays an increasingly relevant role in creating the ever-wished buzz, the art of turning a product or service into the name on everybody's lips entails omnichannel strategies combined with a deep understanding of target groups.
Audiences, however, expect more than what technology has to offer. A 2024 survey revealed U.S. consumers' most trusted product recommendation sources. Roughly nine out of 10 interviewees cited their friends and family, and three-quarters mentioned an expert reviewer. Little more than half chose a shopping history-based AI tool and less than 40 percent selected AI applications like ChatGPT and Gemini. These figures summarize the core challenge of WOM marketing: Trying to push for a brand on multiple channels, including the most advanced solutions, can only go so far if a shopper's most reliable sources ignore or dislike the product advertised.
Measuring online reputation and going beyond the internet
Although the term refers to oral communication, exchanges among consumers often take place on the internet, including instant messaging. One resource advertisers have used to try to assess their online presence for decades is the net promoter score (NPS), where shoppers answer through a survey whether they would recommend a brand. Over half of U.S. experience management (XM) professionals participating in a 2024 study reported plans to focus more on tracking and improving care customer experience metrics, such as NPS. At the end of the previous year, a poll asked which artificial intelligence (AI) impacts U.S. retail media marketers anticipated; providing greater insights and recommendations ranked third, mentioned by 42 percent of respondents.Audiences, however, expect more than what technology has to offer. A 2024 survey revealed U.S. consumers' most trusted product recommendation sources. Roughly nine out of 10 interviewees cited their friends and family, and three-quarters mentioned an expert reviewer. Little more than half chose a shopping history-based AI tool and less than 40 percent selected AI applications like ChatGPT and Gemini. These figures summarize the core challenge of WOM marketing: Trying to push for a brand on multiple channels, including the most advanced solutions, can only go so far if a shopper's most reliable sources ignore or dislike the product advertised.
