Word-of-mouth, or watch your mouth?

I don’t know the best way to respond to someone who is more interested in criticism than critique (Simon Maier’s letter, MW May 26). The only useful suggestion I can think of is to have a look at recent thinking on word-of-mouth marketing. I found the following interesting:

The One Number You Need to Grow, by Frederick Reichheld

The Mismanagement of Customer Loyalty, by Werner Reinartz and V Kumar

Where’s Debbie?, by mediaedge:CIA

The anatomy of Buzz, by Emanuel Rosen

www.womma.com

And if Maier has a search inside his own company’s website,

www.jackmorton.com, he will find that Liz Bigham is publishing articles about the topic in his agency newsletter.

I love a well-informed debate. I am happy to keep trading thoughts in the letters page, or to debate with Maier in private – or perhaps this magazine will indulge a more detailed review of this important but sometimes complicated area. But please, let’s have more intellectual rigour and less slanging.

Steve Barton

Chief executive

Keevill Barton Kershaw

London W1T