Word of mouth is the traditional paradigm of consumer-to-consumer marketing.
Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketing is the direct promotion of a product by one consumer to another consumer through peer-to-peer interactions. It is the byproduct of the evolution of traditional business-to-consumer marketing, where a product’s defining message is transformed from a company-controlled campaign to a consumer-driven phenomenon. The consumer in consumer-to-consumer marketing actually becomes a salesperson for the company, whose good or bad experiences with a product may carry more weight with other consumers than the endorsement of an industry expert.
With the development of the Internet and the widespread adoption of social media, consumer-to-consumer marketing has taken on new dimensions.
Word of mouth is the traditional paradigm of consumer-to-consumer marketing. It encompasses the face-to-face interactions between a current customer and a potential customer. The current customer uses his or her experiences with the product to convince a friend, family member, co-worker, or even a stranger of the product’s merit. Word of mouth can take the form of personal recommendations, reviews, sponsorships, referrals, or any other consumer-driven method of creating “buzz” about the product. Buzz is the holy grail of marketing, where excitement around a product spreads through the public in a wave of consumer opinion rather than as a direct result of a company-produced marketing campaign.
With the development of the Internet and the widespread adoption of social media, consumer-to-consumer marketing has taken on new dimensions. Through a variety of social networking sites, consumers are now connected to a global consumer forum that defies traditional geographic boundaries and can respond instantly. Many retail sites have implemented consumer review options for purchased products, making it easier for consumers to express an opinion about a product that is available to any other consumer who wants to buy it. Consumer-to-consumer marketing has expanded to include Internet-based consumer-created content through websites, forums, reviews, blogs, videos, and microblogs.
The relatively new landscape of the Internet and social media as consumer-to-consumer marketing has become dangerous for businesses. Traditional word of mouth has always been unmanageable for business, but it has been limited by geographic realities. With the development of social networks, the geographic reach of the consumer is unlimited and their positive or negative opinion can go viral at any time. This new paradigm rewards products with positive reviews, but destroys products with negative reviews that cannot be easily erased from the Internet. The impact of social media on consumer-to-consumer marketing has forced companies to guard against the single consumer whose aberrant or flawed experience may end up at the top of search engine results for a product, disproportionately affecting the product decision-making process. future consumers.