The TalkTrack study found that consumers mention brands in about 10 conversations per day, with 81% occurring face-to-face. Media and marketing, especially advertising, are key drivers of word-of-mouth brand advocacy. The study identified "Conversation Catalysts", influential people who are twice as likely to give brand advice and have social networks twice the size of average consumers. The findings provide brands with valuable insights into word-of-mouth conversations.

1. TALKTRACK STUDY PROVES THE POWER OF
WORD OF MOUTH IN BRAND PROMOTION
- Average consumer mentions brands in 10 conversations a day -
- Most conversations take place face-to-face,
but the internet is still an important influencer of word of mouth -
- Media and marketing, especially advertising, play a key role in
driving word of mouth brand advocacy -
London, 22 September 2010: Consumers have ten conversations a day on
average in which they mention brands, 62% of which are ‘mostly positive’,
according to TalkTrack - the first ever comprehensive word of mouth study in
the UK - funded by Starcom MediaVest Group, News International and ESPN.
TalkTrack, which tracked more than 14,000 conversations by 2,500 people in
May 2010, now delivers a clear understanding of the nature of brand
conversations, detailing who, what, when and where they are taking place,
allowing brands exclusive access to valuable information across many sectors.
It found that, despite conventional wisdom, 81% of brand conversations
actually take place face-to-face, with an additional 11% on the phone, and just
7% online. However the study still shows the internet to be crucial in the mix
of media driving word of mouth brand advocacy. In fact, the study found that
47% of brand conversations mention media of some kind, with the internet
leading the way (15%), followed by TV (13%), newspapers (5%), magazines
(4%), radio (2%) and posters (1.5%). It also shows that where online is
mentioned, consumers are more likely to seek further brand information –
30% are ‘highly likely’ as opposed to 20% when the internet is not mentioned.
From a marketing perspective, TalkTrack discovered that advertising is still
the number one driver of brand mentions (17%), followed by programming/
editorial (11%), websites (10%), POS (8%), promotions (5%), social media or
online reviews (4%) and direct mail (4%). Additionally, the study discovered
that 67% of conversations that contain a media or marketing reference also
include a recommendation to buy, as opposed to 51% without these mentions,
and the young and educated are more like to reference media or marketing.
Added to all that, the study identified an influential group of brand advocates,
officially named Conversation Catalysts™ by Keller Fay, the specialist
company that conducted the research. In all, around 8% of the community
For more information: Braben | smg@braben.co.uk | 0207 025 8021

2. falls into this group, a group more likely to earn over £55k per annum, be
degree educated and have a professional occupation. Conversation Catalysts™
will usually have a social network twice the size of the average consumer; they
mention twice as many brands per week and are twice as likely to give advice.
Other major findings include:
• The Top 10 brands with the highest percentage of positive mentions
(descending): Amazon.com, BMW, New Look, Sony, Adidas, Nescafe,
Volkswagen, Primark, HP and Nike
• Top 10 brands with the lowest percentage of positive mentions
(descending): Microsoft, HSBC, Santander, Vodafone, McDonalds, T-
Mobile, KFC, Barclays, TalkTalk and BT
• Those in the 24-35yo age bracket are more likely to talk about brands
• The older you get, the less negative you tend to become about brands
• People earning under £15k are more likely to be negative
• People who are married or married with kids are more likely to be positive
• 64% of people have a conversation on Food and dining on a daily basis,
with media and entertainment a close second at 63%
• 57% of people mention Beverages on an average day, with sports,
recreation and hobbies at 50% and technology close behind at 48%
• Media, technology and personal care received the highest proportion of
positive mentions, with banks registering the lowest net advocacy
Stewart Easterbrook, CEO at Starcom MediaVest Group UK, said:
“TalkTrack is a crucial new tool for brands in the UK, given its unrivalled
ability to track brand advocacy via word of mouth. We have long since
known how much word of mouth can affect brand success but TalkTrack
allows us to track who, what, when and where brand conversations are
taking place. We can plan more accurately now we can track the impact of
media and marketing and we know who the most influential consumers are.”
For more information, please contact Starcom Mediavest Group.
About Starcom MediaVest Group
Ranked one of the largest brand communications groups in the world, Starcom MediaVest
Group (www.smvgroup.com) encompasses an integrated network of highly specialised
consumer contact companies. SMG's global organisation includes strategic marketing
communication architects who are highly specialised in media management, response media,
internet and digital communications, as well as entertainment, gaming, sports, sponsorship,
event marketing and media. Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) is part of Publicis Groupe
(Euronext Paris: FR0000130577) the world’s third largest communications group, the world’s
second largest media counsel and buying group, and a global leader in digital
communications. With around the world activities spanning more than 104 countries on five
continents, the Groupe employs as many as 44,000 professionals. With sister agencies
ZenithOptimedia, Denuo, Digitas and Razorfish, SMG is a member of Publicis Groupe's
VivaKi, a global digital knowledge and resource centre that leverages the combined scale of
the autonomous operations of its members to develop new services, new tools, and new
partnerships.
For more information: Braben | smg@braben.co.uk | 0207 025 8021