Word of Mouth Communication Study

The Word-of-Mouth Communication Study is a research project spearheaded by Northeastern University's Communication Department, working in collaboration with BzzAgent. The goal of the project is to learn more about the phenomenon of word-of-mouth communication as it occurs in everyday conversations. Word-of-mouth communication is informal communication, positive or negative, about an organization, brand, product, or service. The project involves 'conversation cards'? starting with 'primary agents' and tracking their travels to conversational partners, as well as tracking the verbal communication only, through online surveys. The methodology includes tracking the means of communication (ie, verbal, email, or physical card) and the generation of the communication. The survey was originally done through PsychData, until the Principal Investigator of the project, Walter Carl, contacted the EdTech Center to complete limitations in the software. After a few meetings, it was determined that the best course of action would be to transition the entire project over to the EdTech Center.

The EdTech Center designed and developed 2 skip-logic surveys, an automated email reminder system, and a reporting and data editing tool for the administrators of the project within the department's one-month deadline.

Project Collaborator(s): Walter Carl, Jenn Oles