Introduction
Word-of-mouth is one of the powerful marketing tools which is difficult to control and predict but has a great impact on the brand image and perception of the product. When this change in experience results from exposure to an advertisement or an advertising campaign, the ad is said to have transformed the consumer’s experience with the brand. The power of a word-of-mouth tool is that it increases brand awareness and customers loyalty. It is important to note that it is not necessary for the consumer consciously to connect the effect with the advertisement or even to be aware of having been exposed to the advertisement. Certainly, conscious awareness does not transform effect indeed, it may enhance it but there is ample evidence to suggest that considerable processing occurs below the level of conscious awareness.
Discussion Section
Two of the marketing methods are rumors and guerilla marketing. The main similarity between these methods is that they involve human psychology and low budgets in contrast to traditional marketing channels. Guerilla marketing depends upon the number of relations are made each month (Levinson 1999). It is anticipated that familiarity with the attitude object could moderate the effect of matching message appeals to a recipient’s self-schemas. Unfamiliar topics could elicit more attention and more processing effort. Furthermore, an unfamiliar message topic would elicit little attitude-relevant data that might provide an informational base of support for counterarguing (Hollensen, 2007).
The main difference is that the message sent by guerilla marketing can be directed by the company while it is impossible to control rumors (Levinson 1999). In both cases, it is assumed that the core aspects of a person’s self-concept endure and that the person is aware of these core aspects of his or her self-concept (Hollensen, 2007). It is also assumed that sets of persuasive messages can be constructed so that the same arguments use different appeals, appeals that reflect different clusters of self-schemas. In contrast to rumors, guerilla marketing allows a company to concentrate on sales and cooperation with other companies (Solomon et al 2006). Guerilla marketing is based and depends upon effective use of technology and excellent services while rumors are based on the unique perception of a product by a single consumer. Mister claims: “Contact Spheres are businesses that are symbiotic and noncompetitive to you. For example: a lawyer, an accountant, a financial planner and a banker” (Misner 2002). Messages would elicit greater acceptance to the extent that they used appeals that corresponded to the self-assigned schema sets of the recipients. It is further anticipated that matching to self-schema sets would be more effective for unfamiliar attitude topics (Hollensen, 2007).
Following WOMMA (Word of Mouth Association), guerilla marketing is more desirable and effective for any organization. With regard to promotion, the elements of an advertisement that have the potential to impact a consumer’s mood are the contextual factors, product focus of the ad, and attribute-based information (Solomon et al 2006). Researchers state that “despite the fairly recent emergence of.word-of-mouth marketing. as an innovative platform for marketing, a surprising 49.6% of respondents indicated they were currently using WOM marketing” (Word of Mouth Marketing Research Study 2006). Contextual factors are those aspects designed to create a particular mood. Usually, rumors have a negative impact on the vision and strategic goals of the company. “Anticipating potential negative backlash from a campaign e.g., increases in the number of keyword phrases associated with negative perceptions of a product or service are easier to manage, not to mention avoid altogether” (Word of Mouth Marketing Research 2006). Information that conflicts with preexisting hypotheses may destabilize that hypotheses-and it is often such instability (uncertainty, doubt, or curiosity) that gives rise to selective attention. Meanwhile, subsequent efforts to restabilize the hypothesis may lead to distortions of relevant information to make it more congruent with the preexisting hypotheses. Since meanings never exist as isolated entities, new meanings are likely to be formed from existing meanings (Solomon et al 2006). In any case, entirely new meaning, totally unrelated to preexisting frames of reference, is a non sequitur within the context of phenomenal-cognitive theory. “Building your business through word-of-mouth is about cultivating relationships with people who get to know you and trust you. People do business with people they have confidence in” (Misner 2002). Different facets of meaning are likely to recur under different circumstances (Fill, 1999).
Conclusion
Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool that has a great impact on product image and sales. Comparison of two different methods, rumors, and guerilla marketing shows that the latter is more effective and efficient. Using word-of-mouth methods, advertisers should consider carefully the following issues when conducting research in this area. First, they should exercise caution in the selection of the methods used to manipulate and measure consumers’ moods. Therefore, the methods selected should be pretested to determine whether potential confounds exist. Multimethod, multi-measure investigations may resolve some of these issues. In looking for broadly applicable generalizations, those early communications research experimenters commonly controlled for or held constant, the relevant to-the-issue selective attention and selective perception biases, and the situational factors that have the most to do with how or whether persuasion works in the real world. Different facets of meaning are more salient (more “top of mind”) at different times. Thoughts about a product as a potential purchase choice may be highly salient for someone going to the store expressly to buy that product. On the other hand, such thoughts could be subordinate and fleeting parts of a broader felt experience (e.g., a general shopping experience). And, while felt experiences, or streams of consciousness, sometimes come to mind fairly spontaneously, meaning is affected by the situation or circumstance (e.g., the store display, or the interviewer’s question) that brings them to mind.
Bibliography
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