clipped from: www.marketingcharts.com   

Consumers Want Personal, Online Interaction with Brands

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of consumers say that direct and personal communication with a company’s online brand representative is preferable to ads or promotional materials from the company, according to research conducted by OTX Research on behalf of DEI Worldwide.

The word-of-mouth marketing research study, “The Impact of Social Media on Purchase Behavior,” (pdf)  also finds that 63% of consumers say they would like to personally share their opinions online about a brand or product with such a representative, and 67% of consumers are likely to pass along information from a brand representative to other people.

  • 54% of consumers say information from a company’s brand representative who directly interacts with them online is more valuable than information they find on companies’ websites.
  • 57% of consumers are likely to take action based on the information from a brand representative, such as shop at the retailer or buy the product.
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