The Future of Connected Marketing

We have heard enough and more about viral, buzz and word of mouth marketing.

The following are some of the interesting predictions made by Todd Tweedy (CEO of Bold Mouth) on the future of ‘Connected Marketing’

• Connected marketing will become more strategic, with the focus shifting from promotion (creating remarkable campaigns) to innovation (creating remarkable products).

• ROI metrics will be mandatory for viral, buzz and word of mouth campaigns. ‘Advocacy rates’ and ‘sales uplift’ will become important parts of ROI metrics, displacing traditional measures such as campaign reach.

• Word of mouth tracking will become a key metric in brand tracking market research.

• Buzz, viral and word of mouth marketing will be merged into the wider marketing mix, with online viral marketing adopted and integrated within advertising, word of mouth within promotions and buzz within PR.

• Managing and avoiding negative word of mouth, online and offline will be an increasingly important area in connected marketing.

• Online branded entertainment (advertainment, advergaming, alternate reality games) will be used more as key brand touch-points for entertainment brands.

• Techniques developed in connected marketing initiatives will be adopted for change management and internal communication.

• Techniques developed in viral, buzz and word of mouth will be increasingly adopted in CRM programs as both retention and acquisition (turning buyers into advocates) tools.

• Cell phones will develop rapidly as an important medium for spreading connected marketing promotions, such as mobile invitations, SMS barcode discounts, etc.

• Marketers will eventually be able to locate influencers by zip/post code, by which point they will be all chasing the same chosen few.