Steve Woda's blog

Google is an advertising cheapskate!

What is the most valuable brand in the world?  Google is the number one brand in the world with an estimated value of $66 billion according consulting firm Millward Brown Optimor. 
This got me thinking... How did Google become the most valuable brand in the world in just a short nine years?  As the Founder of a consumer-focused internet company, I find this question very interesting.  Conventional wisdom would suggest that Google must spend billions of dollars in advertising every year to accomplish such an impressive feat.

Well after a bit of research, one thing becomes clear... Google is an advertising cheapskate!

WOMMA's Word of Mouth Marketing Summit Will Include More Than 70 WOM Expert Speakers

WOMMA (The Word of Mouth Marketing Association) is holding its next Word of Mouth Marketing Summit in Washington, D.C. on December 12 and 13.  It should be a great event.  There will be more than 70 speakers, several big-name authors, and three incredible keynotes all talking about word of mouth marketing.

If you are interested in word of mouth, viral, buzz, or blog marketing, you should try to make it to this conference.  You can register online at www.womma.org/summit2.

e-Fluentials are critical to your marketing success

Check out this terrific post on WOMMA's blog by Andrew Nibley, Chairman and CEO of Marsteller on the subject of how to leverage "e-Fluentials" to market and promote your products.

Andrew is exactly right.  My buySAFE experience has proven to me how important positive e-fluentials are for your business, and this is especially true when launching a new business in a new industry.  e-Fluentials are the folks that will educate the rest of the market on your product.  Just as important is the need to reach out and manage the concerns of negative e-fluentials.  It is obviously common that you won't agree with these folks, but their perspectives provide valuable learning experiences nevertheless.  I also believe these folks, if ultimately converted, will often become your strongest evangelists in the future.  At buySAFE, this has been critical.

Again, check out Andrew's insights here.