A study recently published explored why people talk about products, how product discussions differ online versus offline and what companies can do to generate more buzz.

Online findings. We are very aware that we’re being watched and are motivated to post about brands that we believe others will like. Professor Berger calls this “motivated transmission.”

Offline findings. Face-to-face discussions are different: it’s less about motivated transmission (we’re less worried about being watched) and more about what products are top-of-mind at that point in time. Interesting products may produce immediate discussion as a novelty, but the topic fades quickly. Being interesting doesn’t result in staying power.

Key driver. Word of mouth isn’t driven by glitzy products. The most important driver of discussion? It’s the accessibility of a product. People just naturally talk about what they see and are currently thinking about. They’ll talk about the drink in their hand, the package on the table and the makeup on their face, not because they’re interesting, but because they’re close, immediate and accessible.

Conclusion. What does this mean for marketers? To get their product where it can be easily seen in a natural conversational context or create a visual cue that stimulates discussion. How? Professor Berger found that product samples generate the greatest increase in discussion because consumers have to have first-hand experience with a product in order to understand what it can do. It takes more than a brochure or quick test (like a trial-size tube). Coupons and rebates don’t drive discussion, real samples do.

Branded items such as stickers, hats and T-shirts can help generate marketing cues. Branded promotional items increased word of mouth 15%. Cues can also be generated with unexpected connections: the duck for Aflac and the color orange of Halloween for Reese’s candy.

Author: Malcolm Faulds, Senior VP of Marketing for BzzAgent, wrote an article in Advertising Age (November 28, 2011) reporting on a research study conducted by Wharton School of Business Professor Jonah Berger utilizing data from BzzAgent.com, the word of mouth marketing Web site.