Word of Mouth for Technology Brands
by John Moore, TalkTrack® Conversationalist, March 22, 2011Tags: Brands, Keller Fay Group, research, Social media, TalkTrack®, Technology, WOM, word of mouth
Technology products ranging from electronics to computers to software contribute significantly to the US economy. Sales of HDTVs, iPods, Tablets, Laptops, and Games not only contribute to the economy, they also make a significant contribution to everyday conversations Americans have.
According to Keller Fay’s ongoing TrackTrack® study, 40% of Americans have at least one conversation every day with someone, either person-to-person or online, about the Technology product category. The most talked about technology category is Computer Hardware products, which includes laptops, tablets, and other computer devices. Consumer Electronics products, including smartphones, MP3 players, and e-book readers are the second most talked about technology category. Gaming Consoles, Video Games, and Computer Software round out the top five most talked about technology product categories.
To bring the technology product category to life, Keller Fay has compiled a list of the most talked about technology brands from 2010.
Two commonalities exist for the brands on this top ten list. First, each brand had a story (or stories) to tell in 2010. Second, each brand advertised heavily to tell their story.
The most common story told for these brands deals with continuous innovation. For example, Apple, never one to let a product get stale, launched the fourth generation iPhone in 2010. New innovative features like FaceTime video chat, multitasking, and a sleaker design helped to give Apple more stories to tell consumers how the latest iPhone can enhance one’s life. Apple also released the innovative iPad tablet in January 2010, giving the company yet another big story for consumers to talk about.
Microsoft played the continuous innovation game in 2010 by releasing Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, and a slew of Windows-backed smartphones. Additionally, Microsoft continued to make news with its Xboxd 360 gaming platform in 2010.
Call of Duty is a top-selling video game franchise. Since 2003, there have been seven iterations of Call of Duty. Anticipation from gamers was strong leading up to its newest iteration released in November of 2010, Call of Duty: Black Ops. A day after its release, Call of Duty: Black Ops had sold over 5-million units in the US and sparked countless conversations online and offline.
All of these brands in the Keller Fay listing of the most talked about technology brands released new products and new versions of existing products in 2010. By continuously innovating their products, these brands continued to be in everyday conversations of Americans.
Besides practicing continuous innovation, advertising helped all these brands on the list to be in everyday conversations of Americans. Apple spent millions. Microsoft spent millions. As did Sony, Samsung, and Dell on traditional and non-traditional advertising. Keller Fay research reveals that traditional advertising sparks nearly 25% of word of mouth conversations about brands and products.
To learn more about how telling a brand story using traditional advertising positively impacts word of mouth conversations, watch this SlideShare presentation sharing more Keller Fay TalkTrack analysis.
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