Getting Bad Mileage Through Word of Mouth?

No one will argue that referrals and "word of mouth" are the best way to get business. But maybe they should.

Here is a scenario for you to chew on:

Friday night has arrived, and you and your comrades are itching to try something new, rather than the same old pizza place or restaurant you are all accustomed to. Your brainstorming quickly leads to everyone pulling out their iPhones / Droids ( it's "digitally PC" to include both) to search Yelp, Foursquare, UrbanSpoon or maybe just good "old fashioned" Google. Finding a new Caribbean restaurant with 5 stars on Yelp seals the deal, taking less than 2 minutes.(3 cheers for the internet!)

What would this scenario have looked like 50 years ago?:

No one could search the web for new businesses, instead your friends would discuss restaurants that they came upon through Word Of Mouth (WOM). Why? Because other than the yellow pages and news papers, no other factors influenced major buying behavior.

Traditional WOM Advantages.

Not too long ago traditional WOM marketing was the gold standard. Here are two reasons:

1. It is a personal recommendation from a trusted source.
2. People naturally desire the greatest result from the smallest time investment.

Although option 1 still plays a role today, option 2 is less of a factor. WOM was the easy road, and offered the least amount of time on your end. Today however, industries are saturated and the consumer can do their own research.

No longer are your prospects dependent on traditional WOM. Even if your business is lucky enough to be passed along this way, there is still a chance you won't get the biz. Why?

Traditional WOM ≠ Biz.

Close your eyes for a moment and think back to your latest incoming referral up to point of purchase. When you got this referral, did you write down a phone number or even a website? Of course not! You simply remembered the name with the company with the intent of looking them up later.

Upon your search, finding nothing will you call the original referrer? Will you even remember who the referrer was? Will you search for more than 5 minutes? Unless the original WOM source was zealous in their approach, you will most likely abandon your search, in favor of "easier" or better marketed options. Although, WOM is still trustworthy, it may not be the most convenient.

WOM 2.0

Word of Mouth 2.0 is the process of better equipping your customers to be your advocate. To fully equip them, you need to give them channels to pass referrals through. How do you that? Unless you have a sales force that follow up on every customer, design (among other avenues) is a great option. Design is a great option primarily because people can retain images and concepts better than data or descriptions. Maybe it takes the form of customer advocate "pocket cards". Perhaps a clever splash page will help. Perhaps a well thought out logo is the answer. Maybe, just maybe, a unique business card is the answer.

Wouldn't it be ridiculous if you lost customers simply because they couldn't recall your name, or got distracted? Wouldn't it be nice to empower your current customers with the tools to spread your name like the plague? It's time to increase your mileage and make the upgrade to WOM 2.0.

Why Are You Addicted to the UPS Whiteboard Ads?

When do you know your ad has surpassed "marketing tactic" status and has become a pop-culture icon? When SNL makes fun of you, of course!

In 2007, UPS launched a 34 million dollar campaign, called the UPS Whiteboard. With TiVo stopping power, the whiteboard artist, Andy Azula, seems to have a knack for entrancing all people that watch these ads, getting the message across in a very memorable "goal-oriented" fashion.

So what's the process?

UPS understood they offered an oil-tanker full of great resources, but had no clue how to communicate all these ideas to their target market, and at the same time keep brand consistency. Enter the Martin Agency. Their solution? A whiteboard, a brown marker and a "man in a lady wig." (Watch the SNL clip and you'll understand) So, why is the Whiteboard campaign so effective?

The Keys

The Whiteboard Ads combine three elements. Narrative, Illustration and Simplicity. The ads are quite easy to understand and follow, which is a big part of the success; but they also use a "hidden" tactic.

The Hidden Tactic:

Intentional, or accidental, UPS and the Martin Agency have taken your brain hostage. With a whiteboard setup typically found in learning environments, your mind interprets the ad as a "learning opportunity." It is also helpful that the very concept being illustrated (literally) is also audibly communicated to you at the same time. In other words, all areas of your noggin are lighting up with delight, therefore you are more likely to recall this experience. (See BusinessWeek's findings on this)

The Goal-Oriented Result!

By exercising what we believe is a great example of "Goal-Oriented" Design, UPS has taken you to school and they are confident you learned your lesson. Can you easily recall many of the major selling points of UPS service months after seeing the ad?

How about at your company? Are you using pretty designs or goal-oriented designs?

Image credited to NewsWeek http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/feb2008/ca20080220_798280_page_2.htm