An association based on WOM marketing?

Okay, so I thought WOM marketing was strictly the name of the game. Technologies and products that are marketed by word of mouth...You tell your friend, they tell their friend..etc. Right? Well now, there is an association based on this marketing concept. They even had a symposium coming up this November in Las Vegas. I did not know that this marketing and public realtions concept was so vastly used. After I came across this website, I decided to dig deeper and examine it.

WOMMA, Word of Mouth Marketing Association is based on promoting and improving WOM marketing by:
-->Promoting "best practices" to ensure more effective marketing
-->Protecting consumers and the industry with strong ethical guidelines
-->Evangelizing word of mouth as an effective marketing tool
-->Setting standards to encourage its use

On the website they offer resources to word of mouth, viral, buzz, or blog marketing. Whether you are looking to find case studies, reasearch, books, or whatever on the subject, they help you do it. This site is very easy to utilize and is very informative. Not only can you use the site for aid, but you can join a membership program that allows you to become part of this new technology.

To see more about what they do and who they are, log onto their homepage

15 seconds of fame

In early 2006, American Express started its own citizen marketing effort. In association with the Tribeca Film Festival, the two have launched a competition in accordance with American Express's ad campaign "My Life. My Card." It was referred to as the 15 second clip competition. The competition consists of submitting a 15 second clip with about one of thirteen topics that have do with the submitters personal life with restricted guidelines of course. Winner received a $15,000 grand prize. The films were personally viewed and judged by acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese and M. Night Shyamalan.

This competition was intense a wonderful opportunity for the vlogger world. Consumers had the opportunity to record and share their lives while having the world watch them. They would tell their friends and family about what they did, thus leading them to the website. This became a continuous cycle. During the three week submission period, the american express website received record breaking hits.

This competition is proof that the large corporations and companies are catching on to citizen marketing and the use of WOM. (This competition was along the same idea of the Chevy Tahoe campaign) These trends are on the way up to becoming some of the most powerful sources of media today. They are powerful tools in aiding in the image, prosperity, and financial success of the company.

Preview some of the submitted 15 second clips