Word of Mouth Marketing: Practical, Hands-on Advice at WOMMA
Conference; 60 speakers, 16 how-to courses, 16 case studies

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2006--According to a recent
eMarketer/WOMMA report, nearly half (43%) of all marketers are
planning to employ word of mouth marketing in 2006. With the demand
high for training and knowledge, attendees of the Word of Mouth Basic
Training conference (WOMBAT) will learn the essential tactics in a
two-day showcase of 60+ speakers, 16 how-to courses, and 16 real-world
case studies.


Hosted by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), the event
will take place January 19-20 in Orlando, Florida. More than 60
speakers -- including top industry professionals, famous authors,
respected analysts, and leading academics -- will be featured at the
conference.

The conference blog, agenda, speaker list, and more can be found at
http://www.womma.org/wombat.

"Marketers are craving real examples of how to do ethical word of
mouth marketing," says Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) CEO
Andy Sernovitz. "WOMBAT is the only place they can come to and learn
the techniques and tactics that work."

Top lessons marketers will learn at WOMBAT

Marketers will learn the best lessons from real experts -- the people
already succeeding in the field.

1. How to get started and create a WOM business plan
- Paul Rand, Ketchum
- Dave Evans, HearThis
- Todd Tweedy, BoldMouth

2. How to stay ethical and out of trouble
- Peter Waldheim, WOMMA
- Rick Murray, Edelman
- Thomas B. Pahl, Federal Trade Commission

3. How to motivate your fans and advocates
- Laurie Weisberg, Informative
- Jamie Tedford, Arnold Worldwide
- Jen Scott, Maxwell PR Studio

4. How to use online feedback
- Josh Sinel, Kaava
- Brett Hurt, Bazaarvoice

5. How to build a great reputation online
- Paul Williams, iKarma
- Herbert Ong, Genuosity
- Ben Straley, Judy's Book

6. How to do BtoB word of mouth marketing
- Gary Spangler, DuPont
- Steven Nicks, The Phelon Group

7. How to use blogs and work with bloggers
- Nate Mordo, Ubisoft
- David Binkowski, Hass MS&L
- Jason Woodmansee, TaylorMade-adidas Golf
- Steve Rubel, CooperKatz & Company

8. How to create a viral marketing campaign
- Mark Kingdon, Organic
- Virginia Miracle, Dell

9. How to create a best-selling book with WOM
- Greg Stielstra, Thomas Nelson Publishing
- Bryan Eisenberg, Future Now

10. How to get women talking
- Terri Whitesel, Interpret-Her
- Kevin Burke, Lucid Marketing
- Yvonne DiVita, Windsor Media Enterprises

11. How to use product design to get people talking
- Eleanor Leger, Creative Good

12. How to measure the impact of word of mouth
- Laurent Flores, CRMMetrix
- Howard Kaushansky, Umbria Communications

13. How to make WOM part of your corporate philosophy
- Jonah Bloom, Ad Age
- Maggie Colby, Intuit
- Zane Safrit, Conference Calls Unlimited
- Dave Balter, BzzAgent

14. How to prove ROI of word of mouth
- Ann Moravick, Rowland Communications Worldwide
- Dan Buczaczer, SMG IP

15. How to learn and understand consumer behavior
- Walter Carl, Northeastern University
- Kerry Stranman, MotiveQuest
- David Fletcher, Mediaedge:cia UK

Plus 16 real-world case studies, including:

- How to work with influencers
- How to spread word of mouth in faith-based communities
- How to launch a new product using word of mouth
- How to turn customers into evangelists
- How to use podcasts
- How to integrate WOM into traditional advertising
- How to resurrect a dead brand

Keynotes from a Who's Who of modern marketing

Four keynotes will be delivered by a set of marketers that make up a
veritable who's who of modern marketing.

-- Don Peppers, author of "Return on Customer" and CEO of Peppers
& Rogers Group

-- Fred Reichheld, author of "The Ultimate Question" and Bain
Fellow

-- Bob Garfield, Advertising Age columnist and co-host of NPR's
"On the Media"

-- Scott Ginsberg, author of "The Power of Approachability" and
known far and wide as "The Guy with the Nametag"

Groundbreaking authors to teach WOM basics

Authors of some of the most influential books ever written on word of
mouth marketing will be on hand to teach word of mouth basics in
special interactive workshops, including:

-- Douglas Atkin, "The Culting of Brands"

-- Dave Balter, "Grapevine"

-- Yvonne DiVita, "Smart Marketing to Women Online"

-- Bryan Eisenberg, "Call to Action"

-- Jackie Huba, "Creating customer Evangelists"

-- Mark Hughes, "BuzzMarketing"

-- Ed Keller & Jon Berry, "The Influentials"

-- George Silverman, "Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing"

-- Greg Stielstra, "PyroMarketing"


Top minds come together

Other confirmed speakers include:

Pete Blackshaw, Intelliseek
John Bloomstrom, Northlich
Laurie Blum, Best Buy
Jonathan Carson, BuzzMetrics
Daniel Cooke, Whirlpool Corporation
Sean Davis, Tiger Beer
Tom Eiland, Conkling Fiskum & McCormick
Jon Gabriel, Cold Stone Creamery
Bob Hutchins, Buzz Plant
Sherwin Leff, Foote, Cone & Belding
Bob Mankoff, The New Yorker
Scott Meldrum, HypeCouncil
Joe Mele, Avenue A/Razorfish
John Moore, Brand Autopsy
Jim Nail, Cymfony
Drew Neisser, Renegade Marketing Group
Dave Neupert, M80
Geoff Ramsey, eMarketer
Erika Simms, Conkling, Fiskum & McCormick
Virgil Simons, The Prostate Net
Samantha Skey, Alloy Media & Marketing
Patrick Thoburn, Matchstick
Bob Troia, Affinitive
Betsy Weber, TechSmith
Greg Wester, VoodooVox
Ted Wright, Liquid Intelligence


About WOMMA

WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth
marketing industry. Its members are committed to building a prosperous
word of mouth marketing profession based on best practices, measurable
ROI, and ethical leadership. The association has more than 230
corporate members. Learn about WOMMA at http://www.womma.org.