From Word of Mouth to Word of Mouse? Or: Are your brands best served by gossip?

By Jan Callebaut of Synovate Censydiam

Even before appearing in court for alleged plagiarism, author Dan Brown topped the bestseller list with four of his novels. An editor of a leading Belgian newspaper suggested that this was not the effect of marketing efforts but rather of word of mouth promotion. How can companies use this marketing technique to their advantage?