14th November 2008, London, UK- Global market research specialist TNS has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Measurement of Results’ award at the prestigious Word of Mouth Marketing Awards, organised by WARC in association with WOM UK, for its work on ‘quantifying the contribution of word of mouth to brands via tracking’.
The shortlist was selected by an expert panel of some of the leading word of mouth practitioners in the UK. The winning entries will be awarded at WARC’s Word of Mouth Marketing conference to be held in London on Tuesday December 2.
The TNS Word of Mouth (WOM) study looks at the relationship between WOM and advertising and demonstrates why WOM should be included in brand communication trackers alongside existing mass media channels – even if there was no specific WOM campaign. TNS carried out a series of nine separate trackers from various sectors over three months to evaluate the usefulness of outward and inward WOM questions to diagnose brand and particularly communications performance.
The results of the study showed just how important WOM is as a marketing tool and found that awareness of other campaign media was up to 200% higher amongst those companies who had generated or received brand word of mouth compared to those who had not generated any. The trials also found that 85% of WOM comments were generally considered as positive towards the brand, showing that brands do have everything to gain from encouraging word of mouth.
Sue Burden, Head of TNS Brand of Communications UK, headed up the project alongside Helen Rowe , Director, Brand Tracking
“The TNS study not only demonstrated the importance of WOM to brands, but the importance of measuring WOM even if it is not included in your campaign strategy,” said Sue Burden, Head of Brand and Communications UK. “It also gives concrete evidence of how to use standard brand tracker methodology to measure the impact of WOM on your brand messaging and reputation.
As the media market fragments WOM is becoming increasingly important for communicating to your customers and getting recognition for the brand. We are extremely delighted to be up for such a respected award in this key sector and look forward to doing more research in this rapidly developing area.”
For more information about the study please contact Laura Cooper (laura.cooper@tns-global.com) or visit http://www.tnsglobal.com/. Find more information about the awards visit www.warc.com/womawards.
ENDS
About TNS
TNS is a global market information and insight group.
Its strategic goal is to be recognisedas the global leader in delivering value-added information and insights that help its clients make more effective business decisions.
TNS delivers innovative thinking and excellent service across a network of 80 countries. Working in partnership with clients, TNS provides high-quality information, analysis and insight that improves understanding of consumer behaviour.
TNS is the world’s leading provider of customised services, combining sector knowledge with expertise in the areas of Product Development & Innovation, Brand & Communications, Stakeholder Management and Retail & Shopper. TNS is a major supplier of consumer panel, media intelligence and audience measurement services.
TNS is the sixth sense of business™.
http://www.tnsglobal.com/
About The Kantar Group
The Kantar Group is one of the world's largest research, insight and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of more than 20 specialist companies – including the recently-acquired TNS – the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and actionable insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 80 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies. The Kantar Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP Group plc.
For further information, please visit http://www.kantargrouptns.com/
