by Richard Carufel | May 21, 2020 | Public Relations

Word of mouth has always been the best marketing a brand can get—nothing beats authentic advocacy from the people you trust the most: family and friends. So the real achievement for brand marketers is to get regular consumers to do the talking for them—online, offline, social media, dinner talk, smoke signals, it all works.

Which brands are leaders in generating jabber among these frontline crusaders? Social intelligence firm Engagement Labs honors the most talkworthy marketing campaigns online and offline every year, and just announced its 2019 TotalSocial Brand Awards winners.

PlayStation, the video game console, and AARP, the advocacy organization for the 50+ population, grabbed the top spots of the brands most successful in driving consumer conversations with advertising and marketing. PlayStation bested in social sway for online (via social media) and AARP for the role of paid and owned media in driving offline buzz (primarily via face-to-face conversations).

Nintendo stands out among 600+ brands as the only one to place in the top 10 both offline and online. Nintendo moved from third to second place for the most talkworthy marketing campaigns online, while Nintendo Switch ranked number 9 for offline brand sharing. Driving the brand’s charge to the top of 2019 were its kickoff marketing of Animal Crossing, successful sales of video games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Sword, to eSports tournaments and events.

Advertising and marketing is a great conversation starter

It reminds people why they like the brand, or what is new and worth checking, thus providing a trigger for conversations and recommendations. Media and marketing plays a significant role in driving conversation, which in turns play a crucial role in the decision-making process, driving an estimated 19 percent of purchases, according to the firm’s analytics published in the MIT Sloan Management Review. About half that impact comes from offline conversation and the other half from social media—making it important for brands to master both.

Read the full Bulldog Reporter/Agility PR article, here.

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