Word of Mouth Marketing – 500% higher ROI (6x)

Word of mouth marketing is content not advertising.

  1. Research from David Ogilvy found that people pay attention to content in print and TV 6x more than ads (that’s 500% higher ROI).

  2. Jupiter Research shows that in search engines like Google, people click on search content 6x more than sponsored links.

  3. Euro RSCG’s study shows that versus TV or Print, word of mouth marketing is 10x more effective.

  4. Hughes’ own research from eBay’s half.com shows buzzmarketing to be 6.2x more effective.

Word of Mouth Marketing – $1 Billion Industry According to Adage & Why

Advertisers spend $1 billion on Word of mouth marketing every year now.  Why?

  1. TiVo and DVR penetration is escalating rapidly.  Although the nation has 17% DVR penetration, important markets like Dallas weigh in at 27% DVR penetration growing to 50% in three years.

  2. 92% of TiVo/DVR owners fast-forward through TV commercials; consumers now dictate who’s in control of advertising.

  3. Trust in consumer advertising has plummeted 41% in the past three years.

Word of Mouth Marketing – Why Now?

  • Just ten years ago, word of mouth marketing was isolated to face-to-face, one-on-one conversations…a moment in time never to be recorded or repeated exponentially.

  • Today, with the power of the Internet, WiFi, WiMax, mobile devices everywhere, the blogosphere, RSS, and message boards…word of mouth spreads like never before.

  • If you have a great (but somewhat unknown) product or service…think twice if you don’t have word of mouth marketing as part of your media mix and marketing philosophy.
"Mark Hughes is one of the most resourceful minds and creative marketers in the industry..."
- Bill Cobb, eBay President, North America


"Buzzmarketing works. It's not just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have!"
-Brian Swette, former Chief Marketing Officer, Pepsi-Cola; former COO, eBay


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