How Mattel is Using WOM Strategies to Handle Perilous Lead Paint Recall: Join the Discussion

Everyone already knows about the crisis that toy manufacturer Mattel recently faced -- a contractor in China had used lead paint that could endanger children on a number of Mattel products. Faced with this nightmare, Mattel chose to engage consumers using WOM tactics and principles of full disclosure.

On its website, Mattel has posted a letter to parents, as well as a video of CEO Bob Eckert apologizing and taking responsibility for the recall. Instead of trying to hide or to assign blame, in the face of a giant mistake, Mattel took swift, genuine action and instigated a conversation with its customers.

What do you think? How did Mattel do in listening to consumer concerns, bolstering consumer trust, and keeping the lines of communication open?

We've posted these questions on the Discussion Board in WOMMA's Facebook group. Log in, see what everyone else is saying, and post your own response.

If you'd like to join WOMMA's Facebook group -- and more than 260 of your industry peers -- click here.

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Wommie Award Submissions (Examples). Your Last Chance!

Sept. 1 is the 2007 deadline to compete for WOMMA's coveted Wommie Award. Winners will present their award-winning case studies to a crowd of more than 600 of their industry peers at the Word of Mouth Marketing Summit this Nov. 14-15 in Las Vegas.

Here are just a few examples of the innovative work already coming in:

• One company created a "Bloggers Lounge" at a live event -- complete with desktop computers, high-speed internet connections for laptops, and refreshments. The lounge generated more than 96 blog mentions, 26 Flikr posts, 4 video podcasts, and 100% positive-to-neutral coverage.
• Another was able to tap into holiday spirit -- getting customers to spread holiday cheer via random acts of kindness, which they were then able to track online at a dedicated microsite. More than 850 stories were posted to the site, which boasted more than 40,000 unique visitors.
• Another entrant was able to generate more than 27,000 photo posts to an online gallery that featured their client's product. The gallery received coverage from more than 70 targeted bloggers.

Time is running out for you to show off your best word of mouth marketing work. For a chance to win your own Wommie Award, all you have to do is submit a 300-word WOM case study to WOMMA's Case Study Library by Sept. 1, 2007. Not only will you be eligible to win a Wommie Award, but your work will live on in WOMMA's Case Study Library.

Click here for more information or to submit your WOM case study.

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Announced: ARF & WOMMA Partner to Present Influencer Panel at Advertising Week

This year at Advertising Week, the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) will present a panel discussion on WOM marketing and the role of influencers in the industry. Leaders in the field -- including WOMMA Board president Ed Keller from the Keller Fay Group, Jonathan Carson from WOMMA member company Nielsen BuzzMetrics, and Duncan Watts of Columbia University and Yahoo! Research -- will explain how WOM marketing works and will discuss their theories regarding influencers. Plus, Sean O'Driscoll from WOMMA member company Microsoft will share how the company uses WOM and will discuss some of its successes.

This event is being presented by the ARF in cooperation with WOMMA. WOMMA members can register free of charge onsite at the event, which is taking place Sept. 26 in New York at Advertising Week.

Click here for more information or to register now.

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Announced: Event Savings for WOMMA Members

At WOMMA, we like to save our members money. Right now, WOMMA is offering savings worth $800+ on leading industry events.

Log into the Member Center now to get your discount codes and take advantage of the latest WOMMA event deals:

• Creating Loyal Brand Advocates and Positive Brand Buzz Through Measurable Peer-To-Peer Marketing
  Nov. 27 | London
  WOMMA members save 10%
• Forrester's Consumer Forum 2007
  Oct. 11-12 | Chicago
  WOMMA members save $400
• OMMA New York
  Sept. 24-25 | New York
  WOMMA members save $300
• CAB Exchange Summit
  Oct. 2-3 | San Jose, Calif.
  WOMMA members save 5%
• MBA Tour
  Several dates and locations
  Free for WOMMA members

Click here to get your discount codes now.

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WOM: Learn It, Do It Series Coming to New York

Here is a rare opportunity for you to bring your most significant WOM challenge and present it to a panel of WOMMA experts: Join WOMMA and member-company sponsor GolinHarris in NYC on Sept. 20 for a highly-concentrated dose of WOM information. Learn how to make word of mouth marketing work for you at a half-day session that has you back in the office implementing what you've learned the very same day.

This is a great way to meet like-minded word of mouth marketers in your area -- and the bargain price makes it perfect for junior staff, as well as experienced WOM aficionados.

Click here to register now.

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Whitepaper on WOM Metrics From DemandROMI: Now in the Member Center

WOMMA member company DemandROMI has a new whitepaper, which is now available for WOMMA members in the Member Center.

The whitepaper, titled "WOM Metrics Framework," covers DemandROMI's strategies and the need for creating an excepted lexicon for the WOM measurement world.

According to DemandROMI:

"The WOM Metrics Framework was developed to help marketers put a structure around their required metrics in order to gauge the value of their activities as they work to drive increased consumer engagement with their brands. The WOM Metrics Framework was developed to structure metrics from four common types of social networking sites: communities, blogs, discussion forums, and ratings and reviews."

To learn more, log into WOMMA's Member Center, and download the full whitepaper.

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Please Join WOMMA in Welcoming These New Member Companies

Welcome to a new WOMMA member:

• Aetna
• M Booth & Associates
• CDs-2-GO
• Gravity Wave Research
• TRICOM
• theKbuzz

Thanks to everyone for their support!.

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Spreading the Word

News by, about, and for WOMMA members:

• Congratulations to WOMMA Board member Virginia Miracle of Brains on Fire, who welcomed a baby boy on Aug. 23. Cheers, Virginia, to your new addition!
• Rob Key of WOMMA member company Converseon and Jonathan Ashton of WOMMA member company Agency.com spoke on a panel, titled "Buzz Monitoring," at the Search Engine Strategies 2007 Conference and Expo, which took place Aug. 20-23 in San Jose, Calif.
• Andrew Field of WOMMA member company PrintingForLess.com was recently featured in an article on the Pronet Small Business Resource Center. You can read the article here.
• This Thursday, Aug. 30, the Bulldog Reporter's PR University series will host a teleconference on word of mouth marketing. WOMMA Board member Paul Rand of the Zocalo Group, Board member John Bell of Ogilvy PR, Paull Young of WOMMA member company Converseon, and Andy Sernovitz of WOMMA member company GasPedal will be speaking. Find out more about the teleconference.
• WOMMA Board member Gary Spangler of DuPont and Board member Pete Blackshaw of Nielsen BuzzMetrics were both recently quoted in a MidwestBusiness.com article, titled "Message From ad:tech Chicago: Ignore Consumer Voice at Your Peril." You can read the article here.

Are you speaking at an event or receiving an award? Were you quoted in the press? Are you making a change at work or at home, or otherwise just doing something really cool? Tell us about it and we'll spread the word! Email editor@womma.org.

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