NO-AD Sun Block LotionHave you ever used NO-AD sunscreen on vacation?  It's really good stuff... great value for the money too because the bottles are ginormous.  What makes this sunscreen really different than Banana Boat, Panama Jack and Coppertone is they don't advertise - hence the name "no-ad."

This company has relied on word of mouth marketing for years.  I first started using it when I was in middle school because I saw a friend with a hot pink bottle of 15 SPF.

While it makes for an interesting case study, NO-AD is also very unique.  Many companies are creating "word of mouth" marketing campaigns which rely heavily on social media sites like Facebook or MySpace, emails (like those sent out by Indianapolis-based ExactTarget), blogs (like your's truly here) and SMS text messaging.  NO-AD really relied on good, solid, old-fashioned word of mouth.

On the American Marketing Association's Web site, Marketing Power, they currently have a survey posted which I found to be extremely interesting.  They ask, "What is your most effective word-of-mouth technique?"  The responses are what got my attention:
  • Social Media Sites - 22%
  • Email - 54%
  • Blogs - 16%
  • SMS - 8%

Honestly, I voted for blogs.  I have experienced a great deal of success in gaining coverage for my clients in blogs.  Many blogs have a daily traffic snapshots reaching over 2.2 million making their online viewership greater than the printed circulation of the same company or other reputable media outlets in the same space.

I believe people are more likely to believe the word of a blogger than some group on Facebook or some email they've received.  Emails have a leg-up on blogs though... many campaigns are opt-in and all [should be] opt-out compliant.  To find a blog takes more effort than just checking your inbox - I'll give you that!

I am sad to see that SMS isn't appearing to catch on as quickly as I had anticipated.  I've yet to participate in any opt-in SMS campaign and I really don't think it's for me.  I equate it to receiving a phone call from a telemarketer right when I sit down for dinner.  There's never a good time to receive a random text message from a stranger... not for me, at least!

So what about you?  How will/would you vote?