Internet Retailer: The web: magnifying the power of word of mouth, says BuzzMetrics

Word-of-mouth measurement firm BuzzMetrics published a case study implying that popular topics and water cooler conversation may play a much larger role in the marketing process than previously thought. And its role is more dynamic than previously believed, with buzz concepts changing people's behaviors, which in turn change their brand perceptions and how additional ads are perceived. Taking Kraft Foods' Oreo PR fiasco as an example, BuzzMetrics showed that the concern over the chocolate cookie's use of trans-fat came to dominate customer service issues, squeezing out the normal conversations about coupons, promotions, recipes and other topics that normally serve as relationship builders between Kraft and its customers.