Latin American Culture Produces Word of Mouth on Esteroides -- Ed Keller

Hispanics in the US have a well-earned reputation as one of the most highly social demographic segments. Whether on social media or engaging in offline conversation, word of mouth plays quite a significant role in their consumer decision journey. And now, a newly released study sheds further light on just how engrained word of mouth is in the Latin culture.

Word of mouth research conducted recently in Brazil and Colombia reveals consumers in these countries talk about brands at more than twice the level of the American public. In total, Brazilians engage in 155 conversations about brands per week, and Colombians top that level at 194 discussions per week.

Specifically, brand related discussion among this Latin American demographic far exceeds that of Americans across each of 13 sectors including food, media, technology, healthcare, retail and financial.

With all this word of mouth taking place, which brands are the most talked about?

• Samsung is #1 in both countries.
• Coca-Cola is the second most talked about brand in Brazil and the third most discussed in Colombia
• Local telecommunications providers Claro and Tim respectively take the #2 spot (Colombia) and #3 spot (Brazil) in each country, with a mix of global and local brands comprising the rest of the top 10 most talked about brands

This research in Latin America, conducted by the Keller Fay Group, measures both offline and online conversations and explores the role of advertising in driving such talk. Consistent with our research in the U.S. and the U.K., we find that three quarters of brand-related word of mouth in both Brazil and Colombia takes place face-to-face, with another 1 in 10 conversations taking place over the phone. Online conversation, whether through texting, social media or email, accounts for 14% of word of mouth in Brazil and 12% in Colombia.

The Latin America research also reveals that advertising is an important driver of consumer conversation, with 42% of Brazilians and 54% of Colombians reporting that their conversations reference advertising. In contrast, 26% of brand talk in the U.S. includes such references.

We live in an era where consumers increasingly make choices based on word of mouth conversations with family and friends. We have heard anecdotally that word of mouth is particularly important to Latin Americans, and now there is solid research that confirms exactly how significant word of mouth really is in these Latin American markets. The prominent role of offline conversation in consumer brand talk, combined with the very significant role of advertising in driving that chatter, has important implications for brand marketers who want to ride the social wave and join the discussion. Successful marketing strategies in Latam must put today’s social consumer at the center, as they hold the keys to unlocking the power of brand advocacy.

Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group, has been called "one of the most recognized names inword of mouth." His new book, The Face-to-Face Book: Why Real Relationships Rule in a Digital Marketplace, was recently published by Free Press/Simon & Schuster. You can follow Ed Keller on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, or contact him directly at ekeller@kellerfay.com.

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