Book Review: Word of Mouth Marketing
By Craig Danuloff
Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz is a surprisingly good albeit imperfect book. I give it very high marks for clearly defining the often hard-to-pin-down concept of ‘word of mouth’ and for elaborating on the definition with very clear rules for it, reasons to do it, components of it, and a built-in implementation workbook that can help many people solidify their understanding and move into application.
My favorite passage is the definition itself:
Word of mouth is about genuine conversation. Word of mouth marketing is joining that conversation, participating in it – but never manipulating it (sic) in any way.
I also like the practicality of the ‘Five Ts’ which show how to make the concepts actionable:
- Talkers: Who will tell their friends about you?
- Topics: What will they talk about?
- Tools: How can you help the message travel?
- Taking Part: When should you join the conversation?
- Tracking: What are people saying about you?
There are however two areas where I wish the book were stronger:
First, it could really benefit from more extensive and interesting examples and case studies. Pat little stories about how popular Krispy Kreme was or how much Andy likes the place where he gets his hair cut undermine the majority of the book which compellingly makes the case that WOM is a lot more than just the buzzword-of-the-week. Five or six deep case studies with compelling applications that demonstrated real-world process and results of the principals the book promotes would have really helped both educate and persuade.
Second, the book does occasionally fall into the trap I feared would have consumed it – with shallow descriptions and arguments - essentially lazy passages where hype overcomes depth. One glaring example is the use of TIVO as a WOM case study. Sure Tivo users are passionate – but the clear business truth is that despite this passion the company has failed throughout its life to transform that passion into financial success. Mentioning one fact without the other is disingenuous or sloppy. Or worse it gives the impression that WOM is the goal rather than a means to a business objective.
On balance however, I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is struggling to get a handle on word of mouth and wants to decide if it’s real and how it relates to you. It’s a quick read and worth $17 to get a clear handle on what is and will be an important marketing tool.
PS: If you want to really learn more, consider the WOM Summit coming up in DC in a few weeks. I'm planning on attending.
