Conversation trumps broadcast in research but not in budgets

I read with great interest Sean Moffitt's recent Buzz Canuck post that included industry statistics so good that I am going to print it off and carry it with me!

His points, based on research published in Forrester, are the following:

- Known trumps unknown

- Conversation trumps broadcast

- User trumps expert

- Owned site trumps content site

While I can't agree more, the reality is when it comes time to budget allocation (for the majority of industries), media relations and the desire for media endorsement still gets most of the budget.

I'd like to visit this post in a year from now and see if this still holds true. For now, news coverage is still the big client attraction. It's what keeps them happy, or causes them to look elsewhere.

You, may call me SWOMI

I am officially a SWOMI. That's a member of the Society for Word of Mouth.


Visit Society for Word of Mouth


In my first 10 minutes of looking around this online network, I became a fan of a video with great commentary from fellow member Michele Miller on parallels between the video and building a viral campaign for business.



I also found a great recommendation for a new book, David Vinjamuri's "Accidental Branding: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Brands".

More on my journeys as a SWOMI to come.... I suppose I've been called worse!

How would you sell underwear?

If you were asked to help boost underwear sales to the masses what would you do? Traditional marketing avenues come to mind - advertising, celebrity endorsement, product placement.... all ideas that are one step removed from the customers we are trying to reach.

Jockey went right to its customer-base with its Underwars dance campaign. A micro site hosts a video competition where individuals shimmy and shake in their favourite Jockey underwear to a list of pre-approved songs for a chance to win $5,000 (and some serious bragging rights).

It's a good example of a campaign well planned. Good design, a defined period of time, easy-to-execute, clear rules, appealingly racy but not in poor taste. Oh, and then there is the ability to 'get the right gear' and buy merchandise online. Did you know Jockey makes women's briefs that are.... it appears this campaign works in getting consumers to click onto their website and peruse their wares!

I'd be very interested to see a follow-up on this project and whether sales were actually increased. For now, an absolutely noteworthy effort and example of the potential of social media.