
16
The Challenge
Prologue
Word of Mouth
The answer begins here.
True, trusted recommendations.
Not faked, bribed, or bought.
Not a brand masquerading as our “friend” on social media.
It doesn’t have to be from a person we actually know in real-
life, but it must be from someone (or something) we trust
more than we trust a brand. And most of us still trust a total
stranger on Amazon more than the “brand friend” we “like”
on Facebook. (That we “liked” for a chance to win an iPod.)
Note: Amazon reviews aren’t entirely trusted either, thanks to well-
publicized stories of fake positive reviews by the author or fake negative
reviews by a rival. Even in the face of potentially fake reviews, we still trust them
more than we trust the brand’s own messages.
92% say they trust
recommendations from friends and family
above all other forms of advertising
70% say they trust online
consumer reviews, the second most
trusted recommendation above all other
forms of advertising.
Source: Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising report
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/reports/2012/global-trust-in-advertising-and-brand-messages.html