Conversation Catalysts™ and the Home Products Category
by John Moore, TalkTrack® Conversationalist, January 10, 2011Tags: Brands, Catalysts, Conversation Catalysts, Home Products, Keller Fay Group, research, Social media, TalkTrack®, WOM, word of mouth
Last week we learned Americans (ages 18-69) will talk about home appliance brands in everyday conversations with others a staggering 22 BILLION times in a year. That’s a significant word of mouth opportunity for marketers.
Within this audience exists a group of people who disproportionately drive word of mouth conversations about brands in the Home products category. Keller Fay refers to these talkative people as Conversation Catalysts™. Through its ongoing TalkTrack® study into word of mouth conversations, Keller Fay is able to measure and track this important segment of consumers who comprise 9% of the American population, yet, they give twice as much advice about products and services than the ordinary American consumer.
Conversation Catalysts™ in the Home products category (Home Catalysts) are an attractive demo for marketers. They skew heavily female, married, and the majority are between the ages of 30 to 59. Nearly 40% of Home Catalysts have a college/post-graduate education and they are upscale, with almost 50% of these talkers having a household income greater than $75k.
Potentially more attractive to marketers is the size of Home Catalysts™’ social circles. As the chart below shows, Conversation Catalysts™ in the home products category have more than double the amount of neighbors and acquaintances, and nearly twice the number of close friends compared to the total public. These are important statistics because the larger someone’s social circle is combined with their propensity to give advice about products/services equates to generating more brand-related word of mouth conversations.
Keller Fay’s TalkTrack® study reveals Home Catalysts™ will engage in conversations about specific home appliance brands 120 more times over the course of a year than will the average American consumer. When Home Catalysts talk about home appliance brands, General Electric gets mentioned most, followed by Maytag, Kenmore, and Whirlpool.
The following chart compares conversations where brand names are talked about by average consumers (total public) versus conversations by Home Catalysts™.
General Electric does get talked about more from all consumers. However, percentage-wise, Home Catalysts™ will disproportionately talk more about the Maytag brand than will the total public. The Whirlpool brand is also talked about more by Home Catalysts than the total public. This disparity is important because Home Catalysts influence the conversations Americans have about Home appliance brands. Marketers understand if their brand isn’t in daily conversations, then their brand is not under buying consideration.
Within any product category exists Conversation Catalysts™. Finding, target, and connecting with them can spark a multiplier effect for both brand-related conversations and product sales. For more guidance on finding, targeting, and connecting with Conversation Catalysts™ through advertising, watch these presentations: WOM & Online Media, WOM & Magazines, and WOM & Television.
Feed
