This week, I had the privilege of learning and growing alongside of approximately 1,200 of my peers from across North America at the Association for Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. I heard from futurists, consultants, industry colleagues, as well as, subject matter experts aimed to educate, evoke reflection, encourage best practice sharing and even disrupt norms.
One of those speakers was Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and bestselling author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On who served as the keynote speaker during our opening Plenary Session. His dynamic, witty and highly engaging presentation on word-of-mouth advertising included several takeaways that can be applied across all industries and business size.
Do you remember the infamous “Hump Day” Camel commercial for Geico Insurance? The ad featured a goofy camel strolling through an office attempting to liven up workers by asking “Guess what day it is?” Following a few attempts, finally “Julie” delivers the answer with absolutely no enthusiasm: “It’s Hump Day.” The camel then erupted into giddy excitement. Every Wednesday, America still can’t help but to think about being “Happier than a camel on Wednesday”! Did you know that by the end of 2013, the year that the ad was launched, it had been shared close to 4 million times on social media? In addition, it was the 7th most viewed ad on YouTube that year having 19 million views. Oh, and by the way, guess when this video was shared most often? You guessed it, on Wednesdays!
So, why did this campaign “go viral”? Is it just luck or a stroke of genius that some companies, products or services hit the “word of mouth jackpot”? Jonah Berger has spent about 15 years researching consumer behavior behind our purchasing and sharing decisions. He says it’s science.
In his presentation last Sunday, Berger described the six primary principles his research concluded that drive what people talk about and share. If one understands the science behind this consumer behavior, one can increase his or her chances in crafting what he calls “contagious content” and generating some great word-of-mouth for your product or service.
1. Social Currency. People share things that affect how people see them. So, if you create content or a brand reputation that makes someone look better or smarter by being associated with it, the more likely they’ll be to share it with others.
2. Triggers. Berger said, “top-of-mind equals tip-of-the-tongue.” When you think of peanut butter, you think of jelly. Peanut butter serves as an automatic advertisement for jelly. The more we’re triggered to think about a product or idea, the more we’ll talk about it. For example, a trigger for Corona beer the beach. Data proves that consumers are more likely to buy Corona beer at the beach. They created this trigger through their marketing messaging.
3. Emotion. “When we care, we share.” People are more likely to share content that causes their heart rate to increase. This emotion can be positive, utilizing fuzzy feel-goods, excitement or humor, or even negative emotion, with anger or anxiety.
4. Public. Humans tend to follow or imitate one another. Take the “I Voted” stickers as an example. One is more likely to vote if they see that their friends have voted. People are more likely to seek products or services when they seem to be observably in demand.
5. Practical Value. Humans tend to want to help others. You increase your chances in getting people to talk about you or share if your content is useful. Examples: How to videos; Top Ten lists; Life Hacks..etc.
6. Stories. You can increase your chances in having others talk about you if you shift your messaging to telling stories versus sales pitches. No one likes to be “sold to”, much less seeming like a walking advertisement themselves! They will, however, talk about you if it’s a part of a broader narrative. Berger described this messaging as a “Trojan horse” story that carries your brand along for the ride”. For example: Blogger content, “Earned content” through media relations, or customer experience reviews
I encourage you to reflect upon your current marketing messaging and strategies. How can you incorporate one or several of Berger’s principles. Will this guarantee a “viral” response? Certainly not! However, as I previously mentioned, by understanding the science behind consumer behavior, it will increase your chances in generating some additional word-of-mouth buzz for your brand.
For more on this subject, join me in reading Jonah Berger’s book, Contagious: Why Things Catch On.
www.LindsayKeisler.com 