Beginning in summer 2010, BzzAgent, the social media marketing arm of dunnhumby, began studying the immediate and lingering results of several social media marketing campaigns involving consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and brand advocates.
There was an immediate boost to advocates’ likelihood to recommend a product after being exposed to a campaign. While the effect of the campaign diminished somewhat over time, 55% of brand advocates studied were still significantly more likely to recommend a product one year after their initial exposure.
When brand advocates studied were asked about their own purchase intent, the results were even more dramatic. Immediately after the campaign, the number shot up more than 30 percentage points and remained at 69% for three months. After a year, purchase intent was still elevated as high as 61%.
