• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 30, 2011

No one doubts the power of word-of-mouth brand advocacy. But how long do the effects last?

When it comes to social media, at least a year, according to a new study from BzzAgent, the social marketing arm of Dunnhumby.

BzzAgent benchmarked lifts in product opinion, likelihood to recommend and purchase intent among participants in social media brand advocacy programs for eight products spanning a range of CPG products, including food, health and beauty, home care and OTC medication. (The programs ran for an average of eight weeks.) 

The agency then followed up with participants in the original programs, surveying them every three months for a year, to see if their opinions, conversations and purchase behaviors changed.

One finding: The advocacy programs on average had doubled positive product opinion, and after a year, 94% of that lift was maintained.

Another result: The advocacy campaigns had produced a 54% average lift in recommendation likelihood for the products, and after a year, an average of 91% of that lift was maintained.

Finally, the advocacy campaigns had produced an average increase of 81% in purchase intent for the products, and after a year, 88% of that lift had also been maintained.

 “Not only was there a significant short-term impact, but a year later the advocates were just as enthusiastic about the brands as they were when they first participated in the campaigns,” summed up BzzAgent CEO and founder Dave Balter.