Word-of-Mouth Advertising: A Boomer Magnet?

We had out-of-town guests over the weekend, and one recurring topic of conversation was how much we all like shopping at Costco.

Costco draws baby boomer travelers and other customers primarily through word-of-mouth advertising

For instance, when they mentioned they needed new luggage for an upcoming cruise, I suggested looking at Costco, because that’s where we’ve been buying luggage for years — great quality at half the price or less. They quickly agreed to check it out.

While I wasn’t getting a commission (and am not for anything I write here today), that was a classic example of word-of-mouth advertising. And it didn’t cost Costco a cent.

Then today I came upon this fascinating piece in The Huffington Post about “Ten Cult Brands So Popular They Don’t Need to Advertise.”

One of them is Costco.

According to Jillian Berman, who wrote the piece, Costco does use social media to reach… Continue reading →