Deck 6: Non-Media Connectors and Word-Of-Mouth

Question 1

In MPR, what does the abbreviation NMC stand for?

A) new media communication
B) non-media connector
C) non-mediated communication
D) non-market consumer
E) non-management consultant

Answer 1

non-media connector

Question 2

Mass media are not the only vehicles a firm can use to get a message to a potential customer. By what other means can marketers effectively reach out to large numbers of consumers?

A) employing subliminal advertising techniques
B) socializing with consumers
C) using non-media connectors
D) conducting public opinion polls
E) placing advertisements in local penny-savers

Answer 2

using non-media connectors

Question 3

In the MPR environment, a consumer with a passion for a brand, product or business can, as a result, become a(n)

A) active non-media connector.
B) advertising representative.
C) consumer activist.
D) secret shopper.
E) product research engineer.

Answer 3

active non-media connector.

Question 4

Marketers expect non-media connectors to use their own resources to

A) purchase advertising time and space.
B) distribute free samples to prospective customers.
C) take part in personal selling efforts on behalf of products.
D) influence their friends, family, and people in their professional circles.
E) conduct media audits to determine the size of their audiences.

Question 5

Marketers can encourage and support non-media connectors by providing content exclusively to consumers in an NMC's

A) sphere of influence.
B) circle of users.
C) designated market area.
D) Internet domain.
E) locus of control.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an accurate assertion about word-of-mouth?

A) Word-of-mouth is a marketing tool.
B) Using word-of-mouth is more challenging than other promotional efforts.
C) Word-of-mouth relies on explicit channels to the consumer.
D) There is no formal mechanism for marketers to identify word-of-mouth channels.
E) Word-of-mouth is powerful because it has a high measure of credibility with consumers.

Question 7

A 2007 Nielsen study concluded that

A) recommendations by celebrity spokespersons on television are the most trusted form of promotion.
B) consumers do not rely on recommendations in making purchase decisions.
C) online shoppers tend to lie when writing product reviews.
D) recommendations from consumers are the most trusted form of promotion.
E) mass advertising is still the most effective way to generate word-of-mouth.

Question 8

What do marketers call a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message?

A) connector contact
B) integrated marketing
C) marketing mix
D) media mix
E) viral marketing

Question 9

To target promotions effectively, NMCs need to have

A) sufficient financial incentives from the marketer.
B) an interest in the message they deliver to an audience.
C) a source of advertising revenue.
D) a stakeholder relationship with the marketer.
E) audiences that do not use mass media at all.

Question 10

A major reason for using MPR is to

A) capitalize on its assumed trustworthiness.
B) put public relations staff in charge of a firm's advertising effort.
C) successfully wage questionable publicity stunts.
D) keep firms out of the news whenever possible.
E) avoid having to hire an outside promotional agency.

Question 11

In order for a firm to effectively deliver an MPR message, an organization must

A) be able to afford hiring a major public relations consultant.
B) know connectors willing to work on commission.
C) have the right connectors in place.
D) assume that all audiences are equal.
E) make sure that all messages contain an overt sales pitch.

Question 12

Reference groups, opinion leaders, and citizen marketers are

A) types of conventional media channels.
B) demographic segments of the market.
C) types of paid product endorsers.
D) channels of product distribution.
E) categories of non-media connectors.

Question 13

Reference groups may be defined as

A) public opinion research firms employed by large public relations agencies.
B) media outlets whose presence consumers can find both online and off-line.
C) advertising sales organizations that recommend certain media vehicles to clients.
D) external sources people look to for purchase decision-making cues.
E) news aggregation sites with high click-through rates.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT True of reference groups?

A) Reference groups do not carry the weight of authority.
B) Consumers look to reference groups to guide their buying behavior.
C) Individuals use reference groups to anchor their own beliefs and attitudes.
D) Reference groups are familiar to consumers.
E) Reference groups are not a recent phenomenon.

Question 15

Although the terms "experts" and "opinion leaders"
Have similar meanings,

A) experts rarely influence public opinion.
B) most consumers know they are not the same.
C) marketers often differentiate these two groups.
D) opinion leaders are not experts in anything.
E) MPR does not employ this terminology.

Question 16

In the MPR process, the term "expert" tends to mean a(n)

A) person whose name frequently appears in the news for one reason or another.
B) celebrity who has been interviewed on NPR.
C) authoritative scholar with a Ph.D.
D) paid professional who possesses certain experience in one specific area.
E) ordinary citizen with a strong passion for a product.

Question 17

What do MPR professionals call people who tend to be revered for their views on a broad spectrum of topics?

A) thought experts
B) citizen marketers
C) connectors
D) stakeholders
E) opinion leaders

Question 18

The pharmaceutical industry believes that marketing to opinion leaders

A) has little or no effect.
B) undercuts the authority of prescribing physicians.
C) can boost revenues.
D) only works for promoting generic drugs.
E) can help to accelerate FDA approval of new treatments.

Question 19

People most often base their opinions about products on which of the following?

A) personal feelings
B) analysis of trusted experts
C) rumors and speculation
D) print advertising campaigns
E) telemarketing pitches

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about non-media connectors?

A) NMCs can be ordinary people.
B) The Internet has spurred a rise in the number of NMCs.
C) All NMCs are industry professionals or celebrities.
D) NMCs spread a marketer's message voluntarily.
E) NMCs drive consumer-generated marketing.

Question 21

In the MPR process, citizen marketers

A) are ordinary people recruited to conduct door-to-door sales.
B) are low-credibility spokespersons who appear in mass advertising campaigns.
C) hand out free product samples in major metropolitan areas.
D) send out annoying chain letters by e-mail.
E) share their passions for products with other people.

Question 22

Citizen marketers, according to Ben McConnel and Jackie Huba,

A) are comprised of one homogeneous group of ordinary people.
B) can be divided into four distinct categories.
C) are each unique individuals and therefore cannot be categorized.
D) can be broken down according to conventional demographic traits.
E) can be divided into industry professionals and celebrities.

Question 23

Filters do all of the following EXCEPT

A) confront companies about their products.
B) collect and repackage content.
C) maintain a steady objectivity.
D) cross over into analysis.
E) produce their own journalistic work.

Question 24

Fanatics are citizen marketers who are typically

A) paid endorsers of brand products.
B) devoutly religious consumers.
C) brand-loyal sports enthusiasts.
D) True believers and love to analyze brands.
E) television viewers that do not use the Internet.

Question 25

Facilitators are defined as community creators who generally

A) bring together fans of a product.
B) are paid by firms to publicly use their products.
C) run focus groups to research consumer preferences.
D) host product promotions in their own homes.
E) hold political office in their towns.

Question 26

Citizen marketers who generate a lot of short-term but heavy interest in a product are referred to as

A) fanatics.
B) facilitators.
C) firecrackers.
D) filters.
E) flacks.

Question 27

One characteristic of citizen marketers is that they hold amateur status, which means they

A) share information voluntarily and are transparent about their motives.
B) need a great deal of training before they can be expected to sell products.
C) often make mistakes that can result in public relations mishaps for companies.
D) generally lack higher education and are mainly low-income earners.
E) have to be recruited regularly by firms because they lack commitment and enthusiasm.

Question 28

While citizen marketers seek to enhance a company's image, MPR professionals

A) must interview each citizen marketer before they are recruited.
B) prefer advertising campaigns for their reliability.
C) need to evaluate their credibility compared to traditional media.
D) find no shortage of industry experts and celebrities to serve as citizen marketers.
E) look negatively on the use of consumers who enjoy participating in a community.

Question 29

What is a concern customers have about participating in communities built around products?

A) Companies should be offering more free products to online users.
B) Companies sometimes sell consumers' personal information to third-party marketers.
C) Companies build communities around products that no one really needs.
D) Consumers often have to watch advertisements before they can log into online communities.
E) Companies may be tempted to create phony citizen marketers.

Question 30

Blogs are considered non-media connectors when they

A) are not written by industry experts or celebrities.
B) are independent of any news medium.
C) do not carry advertising messages.
D) have content that does not revolve around products.
E) are considered outside of FCC jurisdiction.

Question 31

Blogs may fulfill a number of MPR functions EXCEPT

A) acting like a media mention.
B) sparking word-of-mouth.
C) replacing advertising dollar-for-dollar.
D) increasing product sales.
E) meeting the criteria of citizen marketers.

Question 32

Offline word-of-mouth is defined as

A) information spread by conventional advertising.
B) information spread by consumers face-to-face.
C) consumer communication interrupted by network outages.
D) MPR professionals talking with company management.
E) negative or hostile media mentions.

Question 33

MPR professionals should monitor blog posts because they can perform all of the following functions EXCEPT

A) providing psychographic data.
B) acting like a media mention.
C) spurring word-of-mouth.
D) increasing product sales.
E) analyzing new products.

Question 34

Journalists are usually trained professionals with work experience in the media. Bloggers are most likely to be

A) promoters paid by large media firms to pitch products.
B) government agents masquerading online as ordinary consumers.
C) hackers and spammers attempting to steal consumers' identities.
D) unemployed journalists filling their time while looking for work.
E) subject specialists without any training in journalism.

Question 35

Unlike bloggers, journalists

A) cannot inject opinion into their writing.
B) never provide online content.
C) always report on general news.
D) are held to specific editorial standards.
E) no longer perform investigative reporting.

Question 36

Blogs can help companies to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT

A) offering a vehicle for conversations with stakeholders.
B) maintaining corporate transparency.
C) reducing the amount of time and resources devoted to communication.
D) providing a human face to the organization.
E) communicating about important issues.

Question 37

According to a recent study, online word-of-mouth

A) accounts for only seven percent of total word-of-mouth communication.
B) accounts for the majority of total word-of-mouth communication.
C) accounts for half of all word-of-mouth communication.
D) is an intangible type of communication and therefore cannot be measured accurately.
E) is inversely proportional to the volume of offline media mentions.

Question 38

In MPR, telephone and face-to-face conversations present what sort of opportunity to marketers?

A) personal sales calls
B) direct sales pitches
C) broadcast product integration
D) stealth marketing
E) offline word-of-mouth

Question 39

What can MPR professionals accomplish by providing consumers opportunities to congregate and share impressions?

A) Marketers can more easily sidestep truth-in-advertising laws.
B) Marketers can more efficiently conduct advertising post-tests.
C) Marketers can reduce travel expenses for their sales force.
D) Marketers can better engage customer evangelists and influencers.
E) Marketers can shield consumers from receiving competing messages.

Question 40

In addition to online approaches to WOM efforts, marketers must reach out to consumers

A) where they live, work, and shop.
B) who do not fit into any demographic group.
C) only when they have had a negative product experience.
D) who interact neither with media nor non-media connectors.
E) only when consumers invite marketing messages.

Question 41

Mass media is the only vehicle available for transmitting a promotional message from a firm to a potential customer.

Question 42

Buzz, grassroots, community, and cause marketing are marketing techniques that attempt to facilitate word-of-mouth.

Question 43

A non-media connector can either be a professional or a consumer.

Question 44

NMCs use the resources of a firm or other organization to influence others.

Question 45

Marketers encourage NMCs by providing content to consumers in their sphere of influence.

Question 46

Incorporating word-of-mouth into promotional efforts is rather effortless for marketers.

Question 47

No formal mechanism exists for marketers to identify and reach out to NMCs.

Question 48

People who act as intermediaries for a marketing message generally have a stake in the products they review.

Question 49

A 2007 Nielsen study concluded that recommendations from consumers are the least trusted form of promotion.

Question 50

Complex products are the most well-suited for word-of-mouth communication.

Question 51

Firms must have the right connectors in place in order to deliver a message effectively.

Question 52

Reference groups are the anchor points that consumers use to evaluate their own beliefs and attitudes.

Question 53

Most marketers do not differentiate between experts and opinion leaders.

Question 54

Oprah Winfrey is an example of an opinion leader.

Question 55

People typically do not form their opinions on the basis of the analysis of experts.

Question 56

Filters, fanatics, facilitators, and firecrackers are types of citizen marketers.

Question 57

Not all connectors meet all of the criteria necessary to be categorized as citizen marketers.

Question 58

Consumers tend to be concerned about corporate authenticity and transparency.

Question 59

Most blogs are controlled by existing news media.

Question 60

Most word-of-mouth communication takes place online.

Question 61

What is a non-media connector?

Question 62

Briefly describe the reasons why incorporating word-of-mouth into promotional efforts poses a unique challenge to a firm's marketing efforts. Why is word-of-mouth a powerful tool?

Question 63

What is viral marketing? Why is viral marketing important for a firm's brand message?

Question 64

Identify and describe the three categories of NMCs.

Question 65

What is a reference group? How do reference groups enhance a firm's marketing efforts?

Question 66

Briefly describe what opinion leaders do. How has Oprah Winfrey acted as an opinion leader?

Question 67

What is a citizen marketer? What are the four types of citizen marketers? What is a compelling reason why firms should avoid creating their own citizen marketers?

Question 68

Describe the specific role of product evangelists.

Question 69

What are the two major sources of blogs? What is the significant difference between these two types?

Question 70

What are the advantages and disadvantages of corporate blogs?

Question 71

What is a non-media connector? Discuss the reasons why non-media connectors play an essential role in the development of an MPR campaign.

Question 72

Angela Dobele, David Toleman, and Michael Beverland offered five rules for successful proliferation of a product message. Elaborate on the ways to create and sustain a viral marketing campaign.

Question 73

Describe precisely how an activist organization like Greenpeace can act as a reference group. Furnish a specific example of a way in which Greenpeace has influenced an organization.

Question 74

Discuss the function of citizen marketers. Provide some details about the different types of citizen marketers and their importance to the MPR process.

Question 75

In what significant ways do bloggers differ from conventional journalists? Why are these differences crucial to a company's marketing effort?