Word of mouth is becoming an increasingly important way for consumers to stay on top of trends, outpacing advertising, TV and movies and even social media, according to new research from Ipsos.
The results suggest marketers may need to rethink how they target key audiences.
The Ipsos research, which looked at “what’s cool” in Western Canada, shows the internet was the biggest engagement tool for 58% of people 18 and older surveyed last month, followed by social media at 50%, and friends at 48%.
Word of mouth came in a close fourth at 45%, but also saw one of the biggest percentage increases – up from 39% in 2013, the last time the survey was done.
Meantime, categories such as TV, movies, in-store shopping, magazines and advertising all slipped as engagement tools over the past two years.
Social media also fell to 50% from 60%, while the internet slipped 10 percentage points to 58% since 2013.
“The mediums that people look to for what’s cool are dramatically changing,” Michael Rodenburgh, executive vice-president for Ipsos in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, told Marketing.
“The increase in word-of-mouth influence signals a shift in consumers. It makes me think that consumers are getting smarter,” he said. “They know they are being marketed to and will go to people that they know and trust to find out what’s cool and what influences them much more than just passively consuming yet another message from a brand, from Hollywood or the media.”
The research also looked at social media influencers, and showed most consumers (35%) were swayed by friends they know in real life (not just on Facebook), while 27% were influenced by friends they know on social media and 22% from celebrities and public figures.
“A person’s immediate social network, even a virtual social network, is more influential than public figures,” Rodenburgh said, while presenting the survey results to a marketing audience at the Lotus Talks event in Vancouver on Nov. 5.
Rodenburgh said the results underscore what marketers have come to realize — there’s a growing interest in experiences over objects, particularly among millennials. Experiences were considered “cool” by 30% of the survey respondents, up from 18% in 2013, while objects such as shoes and cars dropped to 29% from 31%.
Forget Oprah and Taylor Swift, 46% of survey respondents ranked family and friends under the “cool people” category, while celebrities came in around 35%.
“Interestingly, the ‘who’ of cool is more personal than we might have thought,” Rodenburgh said. “It’s the personal relationships that people have that actually tell us what’s cool. It’s not celebrities. Some things to think about if you’re a brand looking at sponsorships.”
Given the focus on experience over people, it’s little surprise then, according to Rodenburgh, that British Columbians ranked outdoor retailer MEC and the Vancouver Canucks as the top two brands. That’s followed by Lululemon, Granville Island Brewing and Electronic Arts in the top five. Some other brands on the top 10 list included the Vancouver International Airport, A&W and the Vanity credit union.
When respondents were asked what brands can do to be “more cool,” the most popular response was “respond to customers” (49%), followed by “offer contests/prizes” (45%) and “educate/teach you something” (40%).
Meantime, posting something about celebrities, giving perks for liking or friending a page or inviting consumers to take pictures or videos related to the brand receive negative responses.
“Yet so many brands do this,” Rodenbergh said, warning that it could even “destroy your brand. It’s certainly isn’t going to make it cool.”
