In response to Michelle's post...

Michelle, in her recent blog, posed the question: "do you believe that a good reputation or word of mouth is better?" and "are these good marketing strategies?"

I believe that word of mouth can be a very potent way of getting a company's name out there. Panera (as Michelle brought up) is a perfect example of marketing through word of mouth. But in order for consumers to speak highly of a company, they must have a good reputation first. Through a high quality product, excellent customer service, etc., a business can build a good reputation and as a result, customers will be pleased and spread the good word. I believe that this can be a very effective way of marketing, with no direct marketing costs involved. This strategy is not matched by any fancy jingles or clever slogans, which seem to be stuck in our heads for days, but has proved successful for many companies like Panera Bread. Do you agree that a company should build a good reputation first and then rely on the word of mouth?