“Positive word of mouth.”

That’s one of those phrases you hear marketing people talk about at parties, as in “You should have seen the positive word of mouth coming out of the product launch!”

WOM is usually claimed to be driven by a single live event or concentrated advertising push. I’ve been guilty of doing so myself in the past - with that all-knowing wave of the hand - claiming it as the reason for the success of the campaign | product launch | sales effort.

But true WOM is a guerrilla marketing activity (”guerrilla marketing” being the code phrase for “we have no marketing budget to spend”). It can and does work when fans of a product - like a Fair Trade soccer ball - get really excited and begin telling everyone they know.


The folks at PLENTY Magazine understand that as well. Check out this issue of their Green Gear Guide, title “Bend It Like Oxfam”.