WOMMA's Womnibus #2.18
- TIME Names Consumers 'Person of the Year'
- Coke Goes Viral for the Holidays
- Nintendo's Wii Causes Damage, Creates Buzz
- Denver Pizza Chain Gets New Yorkers Talking
- Briefly:
Viral Marketing Gets Edgy, Chicago Home to WOM
 Tell a friend: http://www.womma.org/tell/
1> TIME Names Consumers
'Person of the Year'
TIME Magazine announced its Person of the Year last month, and for a change it wasn't a celebrity, politician, or newsmaker. Instead, it was you. Sidestepping years of tradition in which the rich and famous were named the world's most influential people, the magazine declared that armies of regular folks -- friends, communities, and everyday consumers -- seized control of the history books in 2006. Their weapon of choice: word of mouth.
Consumers last year didn't just consume, after all; they created. And they shared their creations with each other, too. By participating in online media environments such as YouTube, Facebook, and Second Life, according to TIME, consumers grabbed the "reins of the global media" and founded a "new digital democracy." It was a good year for word of mouth -- and 2007 looks even better!
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2> Coke Goes Viral for the Holidays
WOMMA member company Coca-Cola celebrated the holidays last month with a YouTube promotion designed to spread both holiday cheer and brand allegiance. The Holiday WishCast was the first YouTube promotion for Coke, which once was noted for being wary of user-generated content. It involved six holiday video greetings featuring popular video bloggers that YouTube users could customize and send to their friends via email. The promotion is proof that even the WOM-skeptical can get behind word of mouth once they realize it doesn't hurt their brand, but rather helps it.
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3> Nintendo's Wii Causes Damage,
Creates Buzz
Nintendo's new gaming system, the Nintendo Wii, features a unique controller that has consumers not just playing, but also talking. The controller -- a motion-sensitive, wireless remote -- is allegedly flying out of some over-excited gamers' hands when they're using it, causing damage to walls, television sets, and even other gamers, who are sharing their stories with each other online. While some brands might shy away from such publicity, Nintendo seems to be embracing it. The company is promoting the controller's safety strap while gamers are celebrating its durability and fun-factor. Regardless of what they're saying, some experts have observed, what's important is that people are talking about the product at all.
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4> Denver Pizza Chain Gets
New Yorkers Talking
Denver-based pizza franchise Anthony's Pizza & Pasta has created a novel buzz campaign that it hopes will make transplanted New Yorkers feel more at home in the Mile High City. The restaurant chain, which serves New York-style pizza, is targeting East Coasters with several buzz-worthy stunts, one of which involved driving an authentic New York taxi around town promoting the business. Anthony's isn't ignoring New Yorkers' ability to spread word of mouth, either; a central piece of its buzz campaign has been the distribution of 500 "transplant" bumper stickers to Denver residents who hail from the tri-state area. The stickers give New Yorkers a means for finding one another -- and for spreading the word about some tasty transplant grub.
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5> Briefly:
Viral Marketing Gets Edgy,
Chicago Home to WOM
Procter & Gamble, Others Push Boundaries with Viral Video
Chicago Tribune: Word of Mouth Lives Large in Chi-Town
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