Google's Seven Rules for Building Brands with Word of Mouth - Ed Keller - MediaBizBloggers

See Jack Myers speak at San Diego Interactive Day on June 16.

Last week, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) held its School of WOM in Chicago. The theme: Creating Talkable Brands. (Disclosure: I am a WOMMA Board member.)

In a conference full of strong keynoters (Jeffrey Hayzlett, the "celebrity CMO" of Kodak; Dan Heath, co-author of Made to Stickand the newly published Switch; and GroupOn CEO Andrew Mason, among others), one talk stood out above the others for me for the lessons it conveyed. It was by Jim Lecinski, Google's Managing Director U.S. Sales and Service.

Speaking on the topic of "Brand Building Through WOM," the talk laid out seven steps that Google takes to help unleash positive word of mouth for itself. What I particularly liked about this is that it does not require that a brand have the technological wherewithal of Google, nor the size or scope. The strategies take advantage of tried and true marketing approaches, applying them in ways designed to spread word via word of mouth (online and offline), and are applicable for any business, large or small.

The seven strategies are:

1. Pose a Challenge to the Community. The "YouTube Symphony Orchestra" was announced in December 2008 and made its premier at Carnegie Hall in April 2009, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. Contestants were invited to download a score and upload online videos for their audition. Ninety six musicians from around the world were selected to join the orchestra, out of 3000 who auditioned. Beyond those who saw the concert live, another 1 million+ watched it on YouTube.

2. Hold a Contest. Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to K-12 students of U.S. schools to create their own Google doodle inspired by the theme, "If I Could Do Anything, I Would…". More than 30,000 entries were received from students in over 20,000 schools. Finalists are selected by grade via online voting, and a national winner, a 9 year old 3^rd grader from Missouri, was selected by judges. The prize: her doodle was featured on the Google home page in addition to a $15,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for her school.

3. Give a Gift. Gifts are inherently talkable. With this in mind, Google offered "Free Wi-Fi for the Holidays" in tandem with Virgin America and 54 airports across the country. The free Wi-Fi ran from November 10, 2009, through January 15, 2010.

4. Surprise Them. On May 22, 1980, Pacman made its debut in Japan, coming to the U.S. later that year. On May 21, 2010, to celebrate Pacman's 30^th anniversary, Google created its first interactive doodle, allowing visitors to its homepage to play Pacman. The surprise not only delights people who come upon it, but it encourages them to share the surprise with others.

5. Draft on Advertising. As a brand that has generally eschewed advertising, Google surprised many when it ran its ad, "Parisian Love," on the 2010 Super Bowl. The ad was notable for the lack of narration, but rather it told a story of two people meeting, falling in love, getting married, and settling down to start a family in Paris – all told via the searches on Google. To Google, however, ads are not an end to themselves, but a means to drive additional conversation. The "draft on" from this advertising is the Search Stories Video creator that allows visitors to create their own narrative via search terms, add music, preview, and upload to YouTube.

6. Let Others Tell Your Story. Google Apps is Google's web-based hosted software alternative to Microsoft. To help (and encourage) users to "spread the word" and activate a user fan base, Google has created a website where users can easily tell and share their own story about why they have "Gone Google." Or, they distribute "Gone Google" laptop stickers, mobile phone stickers, bumper stickers, luggage tags, and other merchandise where Google users can tell others they have made the shift.

7. Invitation Only. Last but not least, Google deploys a "scarcity" strategy for new product launches such as Google Voice and Google Wave. A limited number of people are invited by Google to participate. Each beta user, in turn, has a limited number of invitations they can offer to others. Word begins to spread organically, and people who have not yet been invited to participate start seeking out those who are already "on the inside" and asking (sometime begging) for an invitation. Word of mouth creates demand in advance of the product launch.

These strategies start with tried and true marketing approaches, and then layer on Google technology to enable participation and facilitate sharing. Other platforms exist that provide similar user experiences. The key for businesses that want to drive their brand via WOM, says Lacinski, is to figure out what works for your brand, and then "test, measure, learn, optimize."

Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group, has been called "one of the most recognized names in word of mouth." The publication of Keller's book,The Influentials, has been called the "seminal moment in the development of word of mouth." Ed can be contacted at ekeller@kellerfay.com.

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