New research shines light on importance of Word of Mouth Marketing

By Ted Wright February 10, 2020

In an era of declining ad views, un-trackable digital marketing initiatives, and fake news, we know that word of mouth is the single most reliable source of brand information. A new UK study confirmed what we’ve already known here at Fizz for more than a decade.

According to a new Customer Advocacy Research Report, 51 percent of UK consumers consider a friend or partner’s recommendations more trustworthy than any form of advertising.

Friends topped the survey as the most trusted source of brand recommendation (28 percent), with partners ranking close second (23 percent). Furthermore, respondents were 41 percent likely to be put off a brand if a friend of member of their family dissuaded them from purchasing from there.
In other words, Word of Mouth Marketing Rules.

The survey also pointed to the impact of “fake news” on a consumer’s view of reviews. Consumers are becoming more distrustful of online reviews – just 11 percent of whom cited them as trustworthy in 2019 compared to 17 percent in 2017.

Even fewer trust celebrity endorsements (2 percent) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, those from politicians (1 percent).

It is interesting to note what drives these personal recommendations. Consumers cited “Trustworthiness” and “Customer Service” as the two highest factors in their likelihood to endorse a brand to other people.

This brings focus to an important point: No amount of marketing or storytelling is going to help your business if you’re not delivering the goods!

Ted Wright is the founder of Fizz, the world’s leading word of mouth marketing (WOMM) agency. Ted is also an acclaimed WOMM keynote speaker and the author of Fizz: Harness the Power of Word of Mouth Marketing to Drive Brand Growth.