Media Impressions of Another Sort....

At Intelliseek, we branded a new term: Consumer Generated Media (CGM). It's a more analytical take on word-of-mouth, in so far as consumers -- in this era of internet megaphones and rapid-fire communication -- are better advertisers than advertisers themselves. We also know from research published in Ad Age last week that word-of-mouth is far more impactful than television as a source of influence for car puchasing. There's no passion and loyalty for my Honda Civic Hybrid is creating lots of high-impact CGMs for Honda. And the fact that Honda is in no way, shape, or form is incenting this behavior (other than producing a great car) makes my CGM-influence factor even greater. True influencers don't need incentives, coupons, or cash-rewards for referrals. What driver their behavior is the "emotional gratification" of being heard, being first, and having an tangible impact on others' behavior.

In my case, I have yet to see a contact run for the Honda dealership to buy a Hybrid, but I have definitely shattered a few myths and stereotypes about the notion of "hybrid" cars, and started to create a word-of-mouth factor. Among the folks who are under-the-influence of Pete's hybrid car (This list will continue to grow):

-- Half of dozen co-workers (Lifetime auto purchasing power: $300K +
-- Chief Information Officer of University of Cincinnati (City's largest employer) + Wife
-- Next Door Neighbor (Fanatical Car Maven & Owner of 3 Saabs) + Wife
-- Two P&G Brand Managers (Estimated Lifetime auto purchasing power ($200K)
-- 200 folks who walked by the Hybrid Car packed on my street