What this particular study illustrates is the general power of advertising, in association with a satisfying product or service to stimulate word-of-mouth behaviour. This is the mul-tiplier effect of a good promotional campaign and results in sales.
The desired outcome in all this is to stimulate word-of-mouth (WOM) activity. If the con-sumer is to be moved from an awareness level toward action there is a social communica¬tion that must take place between consumers and, hopefully, between potential buyers that imparts positive information about one's product or service.
One of the reasons advertisers are so sensitive to negative aspects of an ad or marketing communication is that word-of-mouth influence can be very persuasive. Studies show that about one-third of all WOM interaction is negative1 {) and will have a serious impact on the product or company image. On the other hand "positive word-of-mouth can be one of the greatest marketing assets a company can have."20 Which, of course, ultimately returns to hav-ing a good product that is appropriately advertised.