Third Course on Food & Dining WOM
by John Moore, TalkTrack® Conversationalist, March 14, 2011Tags: Brands, Catalysts, Conversation Catalysts, Food & Dining, Food & Dining Catalysts, Keller Fay Group, research, Social media, WOM, word of mouth
Our first dish on word of mouth in the Food & Dining category shared that Americans talk about food-related brands more than any other product category. Fast food companies and packaged food brands have significant social currency. Our second dish shared the differences that exist between which food & dining brands women talk about versus those men talk about.
Our third dish focuses on Food & Dining Conversation Catalysts™. Through its ongoing TalkTrack® study, Keller Fay is able to identify American consumers who regularly give more advice to others and have more credibility when they recommend a brand to their friends and family.
Keller Fay has found that Conversation Catalysts™ represent less than 10% of the American population but they are up to two to three times more likely to spread word of mouth about products and services. This rings true for the food & dining category where Food Catalysts™ will mention, on average, specific food/dining brand names 15.4 times in weekly conversations with others. For comparison, the typical American consumer will mention specific food/dining brand names 7.7 times in weekly conversations.
This chart compares the most talked about brands from the average American consumer to those brands mentioned most by Food Catalysts™.
Note the subtle but important differences in the chart. Fast food brands dominate the list with McDonald’s being the most mentioned brand name. Interestingly, Starbucks is the second most talked about brand with Food Catalysts™. Applebee’s in the seventh most talked about brand with food & dining influencers. That’s remarkable.
What makes this list remarkable to marketers is how much more word of mouth Food Catalysts™ engage in with significantly more people than does the total public. As mentioned earlier, Food Catalysts™ will engage in two to three times more word of mouth than the average American. Food Catalysts™ also have a social circle of friends, family, and acquaintances that is about twice as large as the typical American. The reach effect of influential customers talking about more brands to more people is significant as it relates to all Conversation Catalysts™, especially Food Catalysts™.
According to a client-only Keller Fay presentation deck, nearly 60% of brand-related conversations from Food & Dining Catalysts™ take place inside a home and 12% of these conversations take place at work.
Demographics-wise, Food & Dining Catalysts™ skew female and are between the ages of 30 and 59. They have a higher household income than the typical American consumer and have higher education levels.
Keller Fay has much more in-depth data on Food & Dining Catalysts™, including sentiment analysis, credibility ratings, and purchase likelihood statistics based upon their brand-related conversations.
The bottom line from this series of posts about work of mouth in the food & dining category is getting a brand mentioned in everyday conversations should be the goal of every marketer. Not only does this give a brand “social currency,” it also taps into the influential reach of the most talkative consumers. Advertising is one way for a brand to become talkable as evidenced by nearly every one of the most talked about food & dining brands is a heavy advertiser. Delivering an exceptional product with remarkable service are two other ways a brand can become talkable.
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