Word-of-Mouth Marketing Spend Hits $1.5 Billion

MEDIAWEEK — Now that’s a lot of chatter. Spending behind word-of-mouth marketing hit $1.54 billion last year, according to PQ Media. While most traditional channels saw spending slow, spending behind w-o-m tactics including buzz, influencer, community and viral marketing grew 14.2 percent in 2008. Food and drink brands led the way accounting for 30 percent of all w-o-m spending. PQ Media is forecasting the w-o-m spending will increase another 10.2 percent this year despite the recession...