Journalism was once a craft left for "professional" journalists, trained in the legacy of Edward R. Murrow. Today, every one of us is a journalist. MORE>
The media is buzzing...Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the United States, and he got a lot of work to. The Catholic Church has been embroiled in a sex abuse scandal, and has suffered a dwindling congregation, fewer financial contributions, and a tarnished image. MORE>
Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing-communications presents a substantial challenge to strategic communications professionals, both in the realm of generating positive WOM and minimizing negative WOM. Without direct control over WOM communications or ways to necessarily anticipate it, strategic communicators are faced with challenges at actively countering it.
WOM raises a number of issues and questions for strategic communicators. How can a strategic communicator generate positive WOM? And, is it possible to communicate to consumers in a way that will foster a consumer-to-consumer, or WOM, viral marketing mechanism? Can strategic communicators close the gap in linking WOM campaigns with existing marketing-communications mixes
