I have to admit that I am a “Twilighter,” (i.e., a Twilight saga fan). I heard about the books through a friend’s sister and proceeded to read them, enjoy them and insist that my friends read them and be amazed. This trend started me thinking about how underground art forms including music and literature can become mainstream through word of mouth.
Stephenie Meyer, like J.K. Rowling, did not start out with a famous connection or prestigious degree from an Ivy-league university. She simply had an amazing idea that she crafted into a story with her excellent writing skills, and a small fan base was born. Years later, MTV is supporting her upcoming independent film adaptation of the first novel, directed by Catherine Hardwicke. So how did all of this happen without a massive public relations budget from the get-go?
Word of mouth is powerful. Who do we trust more than the people in our own lives? As I mentioned in my post about charity: water, our personal connections are the strongest. That is why word of mouth is such a powerful tool in public relations. It draws from the strongest network our stakeholders have and resounds with personal touch points.
Word of mouth is also budget-friendly. In fact, much of the success of social media tactics lies in word of mouth through social media. I just became a supporter of Barack Obama on Facebook because I saw through recent updates that one of my friends had joined the group as well. All of the information we receive through our social networking tools comes from those we choose to connect with. Social media is, in a way, electronic word of mouth.
Public relations practitioners from all industries can appreciate this tactic. For those in technology, it is the words of analysts they trust. For those in consumer products, it is the magazine editors and friends of stakeholders that spread a product’s popularity through their own positive reviews. Our stakeholders can act as publicists because they know their audience better than anyone else through personal friendships and networks.
So, anyone want to borrow my copy of Twilight?
As a fellow Twilighter, I completely agree with you. I found about Twilight through a girlfriend who lent me the first book– by the following weekend I had bought the complete saga. Word-of-mouth is a powerful thing. I listen to what my friends tell me over what I see on commercials, because I trust their judgment over the underlying goals of the commercial.
I also love the Twilight saga and attended the final book release party at my local bookstore. I was amazed at the fact that over 500 people in Eugene, Ore. had gathered for the release of a teen series novel. I agree that the book has become a phenomenon due to word-of-mouth marketing but I also think the book’s success is the result of a great PR campaign that makes people want to participate in the excitement. Even social media has played its role, adding to the buzz and helping readers share their book recommendations with others.
Angela, well said! Stephenie’s Web site, social networks and other elements of the saga’s PR campaign have really helped it take off. You make a great point that successful results come from a well rounded PR campaign with complementary elements.
Caitlin, glad to hear a concrete example from how word of mouth has played its role in your life. Sometimes those we are closest to lead us to music, books or products that we may not otherwise have considered.