Word-of-Mouth Marketing: SheSpeaks

In 2007, Aliza Freud and Josh McKay launched SheSpeaks, an online social network and word-of-mouth marketing community in which women could exchange their views on products and services. Several years later, some remained skeptical of this new breed of marketing tool, and of the metrics used to measure its success. What business model would allow a company like SheSpeaks to compete, grow, and gain legitimacy? In this case, students explore the benefits and limitations of word-of-mouth marketing, and suggest alternative metrics for accurately measuring the success of such campaigns.