Here’s a new twist on word of mouth marketing. Controversial or not, it has legs and can work. According to the LA Times, some companies are capitalizing on using freebies to boost word of mouth marketing. Case in point Staples. The company recently sent a woman in their frequent shopper program asking if she would like to try new products. She said yes. Now every four weeks or so she gets a pen or other office products and a few choice phrases to use when describing the products to her friends and family. She’s now one of millions of the “unpaid” word of mouth marketers out there. Sixty-five million to be exact. Some say it’s “deceptive” but quite frankly I say it’s brilliant. According to the LA Times, “EMarketer estimates that by 2011, 20% of adult Internet users will be word-of-mouth “influencers” — opinion leaders whose advice is sought and acted upon by other consumers.”
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