The Conversation Manager

Word of Mouth

People trust each other more than they trust corporate-crafted messages. The Internet has elevated word-of-mouth influence to global levels. Peer-to-peer communication between consumers will increase. As online and offline data become interwoven, how advertisers communicate with consumers must evolve.

The “Four Dimensions”

Today’s consumers exhibit the following four dimensions:

1. “The consumer is a postmodern nomad” – Consumers don’t behave differently online and offline, but marketers mistakenly address their behaviors differently. The Internet has broken down physical borders. Consumers search the physical and digital worlds. For instance, many restaurants now cater to patrons from far outside their regions. This increased access has weakened brand loyalty, but it has given consumers wider selections.
2. “The consumer uses...impact” – Buyer power continues to grow, since “everyone is a medium, everyone is connected and everyone’s need for self-expression is increasing.” Messages, good and bad, stay alive online forever. For example, when thousands of YouTube viewers watched...