Gumtree appoints 1000heads to lead ‘Word Of Mouth’ activity

May 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Gumtree has appointed Word of Mouth (WOM) specialist 1000heads to engage in direct conversation with its user communities.

To ensure that Gumtree’s next era launches with users at its heart, 1000heads’ is focusing on building advocacy within the site’s community.

“We have just finished our first Gumtree meet up, where we invited the online community to join us offline,” explains Rachel Claire Steed, account manager at 1000heads. “They were given an exclusive preview of the new site, as well as an opportunity to meet the people behind the brand and give their feedback over food, drinks, debate and receive prizes such as one year’s worth of free featured listings.”

WOM has been proven to be a powerful force in an increasingly social world, and maximising the conversational currency of a brand, product or experience is crucial for companies who want to communicate with their customers.

“We already know that today’s decisions are hugely influenced by triggers outside of traditional marketing,” continues Steed. “User reviews, forum threads, star ratings, blog posts, tweets, and conversations with our friends, family and colleagues influence our behaviour both on and offline. Brands need to understand this conversation and clarify their objectives for engaging where they can add value and build relationships.

“Gumtree is in the fantastic position of already being very community-focused, and we are looking forward to helping the brand understand and harness the opinions and opportunities out there.”

Jon Bishop, community and social media manager at Gumtree, met 1000heads through social media networks, and was keen to involve WOM marketing for 2010:
“Gumtree is the UK's biggest website for local community classifieds and one of the top 30 websites in the UK. As it’s our tenth anniversary we aim to thank and include users more, and are confident that 1000heads can help with this.”

# # #

www.1000heads.com is the world’s largest dedicated word of mouth (WOM) company. It helps leading organisations such as Nokia, 3 mobile, STA travel, Cancer Research UK and Universal Music, understand how they’re perceived through its WOMtrak social media listening platform. Using this insight and analysis, 1000heads helps its clients engage in direct conversation with consumers. Click on www.1000heads.com for more information, or contact Tim Denyer on +44 (0)20 3206 2000 tim.denyer@1000heads.com

1000heads media contact: James Godwin +44 (0)1235 834277 james.godwin@loudgroup.com