OUGD501 - COP2 [SB1] - The best forms of marketing communication

In this age of quickly evolving media, which forms of marketing have stood the test of time? I decided to look into the most successful forms of marketing that have been around since before the digital developments we have today.

Word of Mouth

WOMM or Word of Mouth Marketing is definitely one of, if not the strongest form of marketing you can achieve. It is also one of the hardest to master, as there isn't a way to simply spend money on it, you have to gain the trust of your consumers and put out a product good enough to be recommended to another consumer. This form of marketing has the highest conversion rate simply due to the amount of credibility it carries when a consumer recommends a product to a friend and stands to gain nothing financial from it. 

Here is an exerpt from a Forbes article on a study about WOMM:

'Let’s look at the facts. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. WOMMA and the American Marketing Association (AMA) decided to find out exactly what brands were doing about that fact. In a recent study, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. However, only 6% say they have mastered it.'

Clearly, WOMM is a staple of effective consumer communication according to these findings and I believe effectively harnessing WOMM will be a key to future marketing, as consumers become more and more active with their purchases.