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