WORD OF MOUTH

"I was so happy when a stranger sent me a Coke bottle"

WOM? What is it?

When we heard the term "word of mouth" what is the first thing that pops to your mind?
Personally, this what comes to mine: "GOSSIP"
But what is it actually?
Word of mouth described by Marketing Terms is a marketing method that relies on casual social interactions to promote a product.

But why WOM (Word of Mouth)

Here is 5 principles of WOM that would explain you how beneficial is WOM to a brand

How successful WOM looks like?

Coca Cola is one of the most recognized brand these days. Most of people in this world recognized Coca Cola, because the brand has been such a valuable part in their happiest moments in life - weddings, birthdays, hangout to the bar, or simply just a happy lunch.  Coming back to "gossip" oh yes, even sometimes Coca cola is there when some girls gathered and do the "girls talk". But how is Coca Cola so successful in their word of mouth?

the brand tagline itself is "spreading happiness".

Throwback CocaCola

To begin explaining, let's have a little throwback to the era when internet, TV, or any other media are yet to exist and only WOM could help a brand.
1888, Asa Candler took over Coca Cola which was only prices for $0.05/ can, and sold for 9 cans/day. Candler decided to gave away free CocaCola coupons to consumer - "spreading happiness", and stored barrels of Coca Cola syrup to stores reluctant to stock this drink. However, as consumers with coupons flocked to these stores, store owners quickly turned as paying consumer.
The strategy was a breakthrough! By giving incentives to both retailers and consumers to talk about CocaCola, Candler was able to generate buzz and build his brand.
That was how CocaCola set foot on the path towards the successful journey.

Success of  Hilltop song campaign

Featured in the series finale of AMC's Mad Men, Coca Cola's "Hilltop" was an advertising jingle that had the world sing along during 1969“Chorus of the World”, a gathering of people of various nations ethnicities singing the song “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke” on a hill. The song was so popular that troves of people were calling radio station requesting the commercial be played

The reason why it work so well was because "Hilltop” was a heartwarming ad that appealed to the socially progressive values that were prevalent in the era.

It also helped that it was a beautiful song that was incredibly well-received. It’s hard to ignore a song flooding the airwaves and sung by everyone around you, is it?!

What's up now?

4 years ago in 2012, partnering with google, CocaCola made another breakthrough by reimagine the "hilltop campaign", but this one, to be placed in mobile era.

the tagline of the campaign "spreading happiness - make the world feels a little bit smaller" worked just as successful as the "Hilltop Campaign" back in 1969

The main reason why this worked was how the campaign successfully take us back to our "happy moments".

Personal Perspective

Based on personal experience with the brand. Myself who is categorized as Millennials have heard of the jingle through my parents. Personally, when I think of it, The ad itself is closely appealing to the ideals of connectivity and unity. This is why people were happy to share stories about the campaign or "storytelling" the campaign that creates successful word of mouth.