Consider the Source withBoomer Word of Mouth

Big news released today from Prevention magazine on a year-long research study on how women use "word of mouth" (WOM) to share information about brands, products and services.

The big news:

The study, which involved an analysis of the conversations of more than 14,000 women over the course of a year, found that Baby Boomer women (43-62) have higher quality WOM than younger women (18-39)--what boomer women say is more credible, they're more likely to pass on what they hear to others, they're more likely to seek additional information and they're more likely to purchase.

And to that, we say consider the source.

No, we don't mean Prevention isn't a good source. But older women are much better resources for brand, product and services information than younger women. The reason is likely less generational (and unique to Boomers) and more age-based (and unique to older women).

That's because with age comes wisdom. Younger women instinctively know what they hear from their friends and other women has to be taken with a grain of salt. Older women are more trusting in the info from their older peers. Why? Because the source is older and wiser. How do they know it? Because they themselves are older and wiser.

We'll call this a blinding glimpse of the obvious and get back to crafting sharp commentary on the death of any "Boomer" oriented social networking sites that lack focus.

For those who want more rants on "word of mouth," visit Chuck Nyren's Advertising to Boomers blog. It really gets him worked up.