Word of Mouth – Helping or Hurting Us?

We live in a world where the masses get their formal news from sources like Instagram and Twitter rather than traditional newspapers and evening news television programs. This puts into question the validity of the news being delivered. As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, government officials are prompting their country’s residents to stay home and self quarantine to prevent the spread of this virus. This request wasn’t taken seriously by many as we saw college students partying on spring break and gathering for St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Florida and thousands of people relaxing on the beaches in Australia. Because of rule defying individuals like this, government officials are asking famous influencers to spread the word and ask people to stay home. The Surgeon General of the United States, Jerome Adams, has asked Kylie Jenner to use her influence and spread the word to her 166 million followers around the world to self quarantine (Wagmeister, 2020). 

In an interview on Good Morning America, Adams said “We need to get Kylie Jenner and social media influencers out there, in helping folks understand that look, this is serious, this is absolutely serious, people are dying” (Blackwelder, 2020). Kylie Jenner went to her Instagram stories to explain to people why it’s so important to stay home and how to enjoy this time to reset. This resulted in a domino effect and all influencers, big or small, have been posting daily about the importance of staying home to remain healthy and save their loved ones. As soon as something becomes a ‘trend’, millennials are likely to listen. Social media campaigns have also been started to make self quarantining the cool thing to do. Celebrities are now taking part in the #IStayHomeFor challenge to prove that, famous or not, we’re all alike and abiding to the same rules (DeSantis, 2020).

It is a known fact that word-of-mouth marketing can work wonders for brands and individuals alike. Due to its success, the government is now resorting to this method as well since it seems not everyone listens to/takes the news seriously.

This style of marketing also trickles down the pipeline and allows anyone and everyone to post ‘news’ that they hear onto social media. Next thing you know there are messages being sent person to person like the below: 

“Hey guys, I sent this to a few folks and wanted to share just in case… I hope you are well and alright during these unusual times. I wanted to let you know what my law firm is seeing throughout the country and in LA, and of course, if you feel it appropriate to share with anyone else that may benefit from the same. Please know the info below is sent not to inspire panic but rather precaution and preparation. I received the message below from my friend late last night who is an attorney with strong contacts in DC and elsewhere and she says: “You should go by more food. Within the past few hours, we have independently received at least six separate reports from friends and colleagues with contacts at various levels of the US Government (CDC, Pentagon, etc.) as well as CA Government (National Guard, Governor’s Office, etc.) that there are expected to be significant quarantine procedures put in place and announced shortly.” 

After this text, and others similar to it, began to spread like wildfire over the weekend, the National Security Council had to post on Twitter that this was an inaccurate representation of the situation and made up of false claims. 

Although a lot of good messages are being spread to stay home and stay safe via word of mouth, there are also a lot of false messages that are stirring up fear and panic around the world. These are all prime examples of good versus bad word of mouth marketing. This brings up a crucial question in regard to marketing validity: Who should we believe in a serious case like this – formal news sources, social media influencers, celebrities, or viral texts/messages?

References: 

Blackwelder, C. (2020). Kylie Jenner answers Surgeon General Jerome Adams’ call to help fight coronavirus. ABC News. Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/surgeon-general-jerome-adams-call-social-media-influencers/story?id=69686036

Cheik-Hussein, M. (2020). Influencers join efforts to encourage social distancing amid coronavirus pandemic. AdNews. Retrieved from: https://www.adnews.com.au/news/influencers-join-efforts-to-encourage-social-distancing-amid-coronavirus-pandemic

Delahunty, S. (2020). Influencers urged to support social distancing message. PR Week. Retrieved from: https://www.prweek.com/article/1677568/influencers-urged-support-social-distancing-message

DeSantis, M. (2020). What is the #IStayHomeFor challenge? Kevin Bacon, David Beckham, Elton John and more celebs getting us through social distancing. Evening Standard. Retrieved from: https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/alist/i-stay-at-home-for-challenge-celebrities-twitter-trend-a4392271.html

Dunleavy, J. (2020). ‘FAKE’: National Security Council shoots down rumors of nationwide quarantine. Washington Examiner. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fake-national-security-council-shoots-down-rumors-of-nationwide-quarantine

Frier, S. (2020). Instagram versus reality: Travel influencers gloss over Coronavirus. Bloomberg. Retrieved from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-12/instagram-vs-reality-travel-influencers-gloss-over-coronavirus

Wagmeister, E. (2020). Kylie Jenner can urge Gen Z to take Coronavirus seriously, Surgeon General says. Variety Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kylie-jenner-urge-gen-z-155537692.html