Word-of-Mouth May Not Be All It’s Cracked Up to Be

In a study of TV shows a few years ago, Harvard Business School found online conversations about shows didn’t help predict that more people would watch those shows in the ensuing weeks. “People were talking about shows not on a grand scale, but on different communities,” Godes said. “So I’d rather that two different people talk about them rather than 10. It’s very difficult getting communication to flow from community to community; easier within communities.”