Blog > June 2008

New research from Millward Brown shows that online communities, blogs and message boards are the most likely sources of negative opinions about brands.

According to the brand consultancy’s survey of over 1,000 UK consumers fully one third of people who had used online communities, contacts and blogs said they’d received negative brand opinion from those resources.

We couldn’t agree more with Tim Wragg, Head of Client Service at Millward Brown UK, who has this advice for marketers: “There is no doubt that marketing campaigns using online communities are a key part of the marketing mix, but marketers need to truly understand how their online activities will impact their brand and be prepared to monitor positive and negative conversations in these communities”.

Wragg suggests marketers need to improve their understanding of where the critical online conversations are happening: “Where consumers go for information, and the role traditional and many new channels play in influencing buying decisions, is different for every brand in every category.”

The study, though small, emphasises the need to track where and how your customers are talking about you and, as Wragg argues, to do so not just once a year but continuously.