Affinitive Reaches 100th WOM-Campaign Milestone

This August, WOMMA member company Affinitive reached an important milestone: They were tapped to do their 100th WOM marketing campaign. According to Affinitive founder and President Bob Troia, a lot has changed along the way to the 100th campaign.

Tracking the trajectory of how selling WOM has evolved, Bob noted that initially folks on the brand side were leery of embracing consumers and giving up control. "Now, WOM is on everyone's top of mind, and there are line items in everyone's budget for this thing," he noted. The next step, and the challenge that WOM marketers are currently tackling, is giving their clients the data they need to justify their programs. "Brands want to connect the dots," Bob said. "It's not enough to just wave our arms around and say, 'we're doing this and it works.'" Bob has also noted a growing understanding among brands of the long-term relationship potential of WOM. "It's not like you're outsourcing word of mouth," he said. "Brands have to step in and become a part of the conversation, because so much of what we do is developing these relationships."

As far as the next 100 campaigns are concerned, Bob sees the concepts remaining stable. Building relationships and generating conversation will remain the goal, "It's the 'hows' that will change," he said. And it's up to the savvy word of mouth marketer to be ready for the next conversation development.

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

WOMMA is giving New York area word of mouth marketers a rare opportunity to bring your most significant WOM challenges and present them 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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The ARF & WOMMA Present an Influencer Panel at Ad Week

Going to Advertising Week? Mark your calendar!

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 behind influencers and their role. 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 attend the event, which is taking place Sept. 26 in New York at Advertising Week, free of charge, but must register in advance.

Click here for more information or to register now.

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Announced: Event Savings for WOMMA Members

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

Click here to get your discount codes now.

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Spreading the Word

News by, about, and for WOMMA members:

• WOMMA Board member Ed Keller took part in the Word of Mouth Wisdom podcast series hosted by Brett Hurt of WOMMA member company Bazaarvoice. To listen to the podcast, click here.
• Blake Cahill of WOMMA member company Visible Insights participated in a videocast filmed by blogger Robert Scoble. To watch the video, click here.
• Andy Sernovitz of WOMMA member company GasPedal was recently featured in the Brazilian magazine Epoca. If your Portuguese is up to the challenge, check it out here.
• Congratulations to WOMMA Board member Jamie Tedford, who recently launched new company Brand Networks Inc.

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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