Word of mouth.

In marketing there is a fairly new phenomena that brands die for---or are killed by---it all depends. It’s called “word of mouth.” Probably the oldest form of advertising and marketing, it’s when people talk about how much they like, or dislike, a particular product or service. But like I said, it’s what brands have suddenly figured is very important for their growth or survival. Pretty simple until your brand is being trashed and you are trying to get a lot of people to talk favorably about it.

Think about how Apple has gone from a brand people didn’t want, to one of the most trusted, anticipated brands. Think I am wrong? The iPad has already sold 2 million units, and on my flight yesterday, 3 people in 2 rows had one. They bonded with one another telling each other how much they liked them and how they couldn’t live without it. Ever heard people comment about their “Dells” or “HP’s” in the same way? This same brand allegiance happened with the iPod, iPhone, and practically “iAnything.” Even when something happens to them, and they don’t work properly, most people will still talk about them in a positive way—because they get fixed. That is successful marketing.

But that’s not the case for every company. Right now BP wishes they had never leased a certain oil rig in the gulf. This situation could considerably alter the way we live for many years if not forever. It also involves one of our most valued resources, oil, that we as a nation cannot live without. I am sure many Americans are now saying, stay away from our drinking water, fishing and recreation areas, and let it all stay overseas. This is a very rough time in U.S. history as many, many jobs on both sides (oil companies, fishermen/women and tourism, etc.) are praying this hole gets capped. (By the way, it was in Thursday’s paper, the hole is about the size of a dinner plate. Amazing.)

Yesterday, while I was at the gate waiting to catch a plane from Philly to Chicago, the gate agent had taken us to the point where we were in part wanting him to stop talking, yet then again, we all listened to every word he had to say. He was funny, animated, and told us everything we could possibly need to know about flying on our jet. What airline? Of course, it was Southwest.

If you have flown on Southwest then you know this is not your average airline. They don’t have assigned seats, they serve peanuts (and pretzels if you ask for them) on each flight---and best of all, they are on time and don’t charge for luggage. (Probably the smartest marketing platform in travel right now.) I had guts yesterday by risking a potentially horrible flight for a good seat; I sat in the same row with a woman who had a 2-month old baby. For me I won; this little boy was better than some of the adult passengers on the plane. Then a self-proclaimed “grandmother” sat next to me who had never flown onSouthwest; I guarantee she will again after we indoctrinated her on why Southwest is the best airline hands down. We made her a true believer—and she will likely tell her friends all about it and then the "Word Of Mouth" takes on a world of its own. (It didn’t hurt we were 10 minutes early getting in to Chicago!)

The photo above is the plane that took us from Philly to Chicago; like any jet at any airport, it's scrutinized before every flight. To me this looks like a check up you would receive from your doctor--tubes, tankers and trucks all surround it with one objective, a safe and successful journey from point A to point B. (In my case, “Point B,” is what I call home.)

Thanks for stopping by.