Abstract

This caselet details the emergence of Word-of-Mouth (WOM) communications as an effective promotional tool for companies across the globe. This is more so in the developed nations where automatic ad skipping facility is available for viewers. The caselet describes the use of buzz marketing, a form of WOM, and its increasing popularity among marketers. It also elaborates on the buzz marketing campaigns launched by some of the leading companies like Hush Puppies, P&G and Ford, to generate the desired publicity and increase the sales of their respective brands. Finally, the caselet examines the advantages and pitfalls associated with the use of WOM as a promotional tool.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Role of Word-of-mouth (WOM) in the marketing communication mix of organizations
• Buzz Marketing as a viable promotional tool
• Advantages and pitfalls associated with WOM communications
• and Buzz marketing in India.

Keywords

Word-of-mouth communications (WOM), Personal Video Recorders (PVR’s), Hush Puppies, Ford, P&G, Birla Cements, Asian Paints, Day-Glo, McDonald’s, Blog, Pringles, Village haats and Prahlad Kakkar