Word-of-Mouth = Most Trusted Form of Advertising

A recent survey of nearly 27,000 internet users in global markets asked consumers on their attitudes toward 13 types of advertising - from conventional newspaper and television ads to branded web sites and consumer-generated content.

When asked to what extent the participants trusted different forms of advertising, 78% said that consumer recommendations were the most credible form of advertising.

Word of mouth marketing is a worldwide phenomenon!

Word of mouth, for example, generates considerable levels of trust across much of Asia Pacific. Seven of the top ten markets that rely most on "recommendations from consumers" are in this region, including Hong Kong (93%), Taiwan (91%) and Indonesia (89%). At the other end of the global spectrum, Europeans, generally, are least likely to trust what they hear from other consumers, particularly in Denmark (62%) and Italy (64%).

For more information on the study, click here.