Over 100 Million Consumers Worldwide are Word of Mouth Advocates, Ground-Breaking Research by Zuberance Shows

Advocates` Recommendations are #1 Influencer of Consumers & Business Buyers`
Purchase Decisions

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
More than 100 million consumers worldwide are Word of Mouth Advocates, a
massive, highly influential, yet under-leveraged sales and marketing force,
according to ground-breaking research by Zuberance, the leading online Word of
Mouth marketing company.

Advocates are people who frequently recommend brands and products. Empowered by
Social Media, millions of Advocates are:

* Evangelizing their favorite brands and products on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace,
Bebo, LinkedIn, and on other social networks, online communities, and forums
* Writing positive reviews on sites like Amazon.com, ePinions, and Angie`s List
plus on e-tailers` and manufacturer websites. (TripAdvisor boasts more than 20
million reviews while Yelp has 5 million user reviews with positive reviews
outnumbering negative by 6:1.)
* Posting positive comments about brands and products on YouTube, on blogs like
Engadget and Gizmodo or even creating advocate blogs like "Slave to Target"

In addition, millions of Advocates are spreading positive Word of Mouth about
brands and products in face to face settings, such as offices, restaurants, golf
courses, trade shows, and more.

"Army of Advocates"

"An army of Advocates is evangelizing companies, brands, and products online and
offline, and these recommendations lead directly to purchases," said Rob
Fuggetta, Founder & CEO of Zuberance. "Yet many companies are missing a major
opportunity to increase sales because they are not identifying and mobilizing
these influential Advocates," Fuggetta added.

In the U.S. alone, about 30 million U.S. adult Internet users are "Word of Mouth
Influencers" - adults who are opinion leaders and whose advice is sought,
trusted, and acted upon by other consumers, according to eMarketer.

Advocacy is a global phenomenon. According to GfK Roper, 80% of consumers
surveyed in 25 countries across five continents frequently recommend brands and
products to their friends and colleagues with the average consumer recommending
3.7 brands. The total adult population in the 25 countries included in the Roper
study is more than one billion people.

Advocates are Brand`s Most Effective Salespeople

Advocates` recommendations drive sales. Numerous surveys by independent market
research firms have shown that Word of Mouth is up to five times more
influential than advertising, email, and search engine marketing. According to a
study by Forrester Research, Inc., 84% of business buyers said peers` Word of
Mouth recommendations influenced their purchase decisions while only 24% said
blogs impacted their choices. In a global Neilsen survey, 78% of consumers said
they trust Word of Mouth recommendations from other consumers while only 26%
trust banner ads.

Key Findings of Zuberance Research

The Zuberance study found that:

* Approximately 40% of a company`s customers -- a surprisingly high percentage
-- are highly likely to recommend the company and its products or services to
friends or colleagues. Among the companies included in the Zuberance study, the
percentage of company`s customers who are highly likely to recommend ranged from
25% for a business products company to 76% for a consumer electronics
manufacturer.
* About 25% of a company`s customers are Advocates. This percentage can vary,
depending on several factors including the type of company or product and how
easy a company makes it for highly-satisfied customers to spread positive Word
of Mouth.
* Depending on the size of its customer base, a company may have hundreds of
thousands to millions of Advocates. For example, a consumer electronics company
with 10 million customers may have approximately one to two million Advocates.

Ground-Breaking Word of Mouth Research

Zuberance`s findings are included in a ground-breaking, five-part research
report on the power of Word of Mouth Advocacy. Entitled "Mobilizing Advocates,
Driving Sales Now," the report is one of the most comprehensive ever on Word of
Mouth Advocates. To date, Zuberance has surveyed over 100,000 customers across
numerous multiple industries and verticals including automotive, consumer
electronics, consumer software, housewares, travel and tourism, and business
products and services. In addition, the report leverages research on Word of
Mouth and Advocates by highly-respected market research firms. The first report
in the Zuberance series - "An Army of Advocates" - is available now at
www.zuberance.com/research.

About Zuberance

Zuberance is a leading online Word of Mouth marketing company. Global 2000
companies and others are using Zuberance`s ground-breaking Word of Mouth
marketing platform now to identify and mobilize their highly-satisfied customers
(AKA "Advocates"), cost-effectively increasing sales. Headquartered in San
Carlos, CA, Zuberance is backed by Emergence Capital Partners, the leading
venture capital firm focused on early and growth-stage Technology-Enabled
Services companies. For more information, visit Zuberance at www.zuberance.com,
call 800.962.0590 or email info@zuberance.com.

Zuberance
Elizabeth Shaw, 650-610-1194
elizabeth.shaw@zuberance.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009