John Lewis saw 43% increase in word of mouth brand conversations over Christmas
January 27, 2012The Drum Modern Marketing & Media
Posted 26 January 2012 – 3:32pm | by Ishbel Macleod
Consumer research on brand word of mouth (WOM) by the Keller Fay Group has found that Baileys Irish Cream had a 311% increase in conversations over the Christmas period, while there was an over 40% increase for Waitrose, John Lewis and Morrisons.
The research found that in November and December, average daily brand conversations rose 12% compared with July-October, even in areas not associated with Christmas, such as healthcare.
Keller Fay data suggested that while the John Lewis advert may have helped its WOM rating, which had a 43% increase, strong customer service and creative in-store merchandising also played a role.
Steve Thomson, managing director of Keller Fay UK, said: “Brands which generated significant positive word of mouth at Christmas were able to cut through the advertising clutter more effectively; outperforming your competitors for WOM in this crucial period has to be the goal for all brands.”
However, not all increases in the WOM rating came from positive discussions about the brand – a high proportion of X-Factor’s 103% increase came from negative comments.
