Word of Mouth Marketing Association Announced

A new group dedicated to the promotion and legitimacy of word-of-mouth marketing and measurements was announced this week at Ad-Tech San Francisco. The group is called the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association, or WOMMA, and is now soliciting interest from key stakeholders in the word-of-mouth industry. WOMMA tentatively plans on announcing a steering committee at the upcoming Ad-Tech Chicago conference in July.

"Word-of-mouth is the most credible and trusted form of advertising, especially in the internet age," said Pete Blackshaw, WOMMA co-organizer and Chief Customer Satisfaction Officer of Intelliseek, a Cincinnati-based firm specializing in online word-of-mouth measurements. "This area is long-overdue for a dedicated seat at the marketing table, especially as traditional ad models erode in effectiveness."

A core goal of WOMMA is to help grow the acceptance and legitimacy of word-of-mouth as part of the broader marketing mix. Key objectives of WOMMA include:

• Providing word-of-mouth marketers with information, education, relationships and resources that will enrich their careers and programs.
• Advancing the thought, application and ethical practice of word-of-mouth marketing and measurements.
• Developing common metrics and vocabulary to facilitate faster, deeper penetration of WOM among potential customers, buyers, and partners.

"Honest, authentic measurable Word-of-Mouth faces the danger of being devalued through interruptive, shill or disingenuous marketing methodologies. WOMMA is being organized to help marketers implement Word-of-Mouth programs that can add value and credibility, without the bad aftertaste," said Dave Balter, CEO of Boston based BzzAgent and a co-organizer of WOMMA.

With the control of media, hence the control of the message, shifting to the consumer, new methods of "seeding" marketing into that control channel will become ever more important to marketers. WOMMA's goal will be to advance this approach.