Think Your Product Is Too Boring for Word of Mouth Marketing? Think Again

Does word-of-mouth work the same way for all products and in all media? Jonah Berger and fellow Wharton marketing professor Raghuram Iyengar say no: The medium being used — oral versus written — actually influences which products get talked about. What’s more, marketers can capitalize on this knowledge to better exploit the power of word of mouth.

The Buzz Starts Here: Finding the First Mouth for Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Getting customers to spread the word about a new product through their social or professional networks is a hot strategy in the marketing world. But how do companies find the right individuals to deliver the message? New research by Wharton marketing professors Raghuram Iyengar and Christophe Van den Bulte finds that traditional targets may not be so influential.