Word-of-Mouth Planning: Don't forget the Story

The Keller Fay group serves up smart questions when thinking about WOM. Story+Influencer+Tools+Impact. When brands don't have a story, they can always invent. Like Zuji, an online travel division of Travelocity.

Any thoughts on a pithy acronym? (SITI probably doesn't stick).

1. What’s your story – why should consumers talk about your product?
2. Who will tell it – who are your influencers?
3. How can you facilitate the conversation – what tools can you create?
4. What’s the impact – does WOM lead to positive outcomes for my brand?

Addendum: AdAge 6/5/09 issue interviews CMO of Mtn Dew, who believes having relationships with the right people are the keys to all brand plans today:

"We clearly have moved from impressions as the primary determinate of whether something's successful to answering the question, 'Are we building relationships with the right group of people?'" Mr. Cooper said. "Whether it's a blogger at these events, influencers talking about it, those are more indicators of whether we're reaching the right consumer."