Plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Plagiarism - Essay Example Electronic communication has become prevalent in the modern era, such as through the internet or telephone. In particular, the internet has become a popular method of spreading information, both positive and negative (Buttle, 1998). Other potential WOM mechanisms that are not included in Arndt’s definition are forms of written communication such as e-mail, letters and faxes. The second problematic aspect of this definition is that the person communication is considered to be unassociated with the item that is being discussed. Consumers are becoming more wary about how independent advice from a third party is, but WOM remains an influential source of information. Many businesses have been working to try and take advantage of the ability of WOM to promote goods or services, by playing a direct role in the recommendation process. For example, relationship marketing uses the approach of rewarding customers who recommend family or friends. Likewise, the use of reciprocal referrals has been developing in many businesses (Stokes & Lomax, 2002). One form of this is schemes that are known as Member Get Member (MGM). In addition, network marketing has developed to the extent that the personal relationships that an individual has and that clients have, have become crucial in the development of sales. The fact that this form of recommendation is often successful shows that although the person giving the recommendation is not independent, there is still a significant effect on behaviour, and thus, it is a WOM activity. These arguments have resulted in the development of a more up-to-date definition of WOM, which is all communication that occurs between people that focuses on either products or services, where the communication is believed to be impartial by the receiver (Stokes & Lomax, 2002). The use of personal referral is often considered to be a highly effective method of influencing the behaviour of consumers.