Despite an ever-expanding array of advertising platforms and sources, consumers around the world still place their highest levels of trust in other consumers, according to a recent global Nielsen Internet survey.

Conducted twice-a-year among 26,486 internet users in 47 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East, Nielsen most recently surveyed consumers on their attitudes toward thirteen types of advertising – from conventional newspaper and television ads to branded web sites and consumer-generated content.

The Nielsen survey found that overall, consumers trust other consumers above all else! 78% of respondents said they trusted - either completely or somewhat – the recommendation of other consumers.

“The recommendation of someone else remains the most trusted source of information when consumers decide which products and services to buy,” said David McCallum, the global managing director for Nielsen’s Customized Research Services.

“The advertising industry has to do a better job at communicating the value it brings to consumers,” said Jonathan Carson, of Nielsen BuzzMetrics, a service of The Nielsen Company.


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The full report is available at the Nielson website.

About Nielsen BuzzMetrics
Nielsen BuzzMetrics is the global measurement standard in Consumer-Generated Media. With solid data-mining technology, superb research and Nielsen’s unrivalled experience in media measurement and client services, BuzzMetrics helps today’s companies, brands and business professionals better understand the influence and impact of CGM on products, issues, reputation and image.

About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is the world's leading provider of marketing information (ACNielsen), audience measurement, and business media products and services. By delivering an unmatched combination of insights, market intelligence, advanced analytical tools, and integrated marketing solutions, Nielsen provides clients with the most complete view of their consumers and their markets.
Headquartered in New York, USA and Haarlem, The Netherlands, Nielsen operates in more than 100 countries with a global team dedicated to helping clients compete more effectively and discover opportunity with more clarity than ever before.

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Internet Research

The Internet in Britain: 2007
Produced by Oxford Internet Surveys, 2007
“Getting information about and buying products are popular commercial uses of the Internet, but doubts remain about quality assessment of the products bought online and the lack of face-to-face contact.” 59% think it is difficult to assess product quality when shopping on the Internet. 37% are uncomfortable with the lack of face-to-face contact.
Word-Of-Mouth Phenomenon Spreads Across The Globe
Produced by GfK Roper Consulting, 20th June 2006
“We now know that people hold the power in the global marketplace. Accessing the word-of-mouth network is no longer optional… success will be dependent on using this channel wisely.” 70% of consumers across the globe trust friends, family, or other people when searching for information or ideas on products to buy.
“The fact that consumers think opinions posted online are as trustworthy as brand Web sites speaks to the power of online reviews and recommendations. It also means that marketers need to focus as much attention on what consumers say about their brands online as they do on creating the brand Web sites themselves. The easiest thing to do is to make consumer feedback an essential part of every brand Web site.

In all these studies, word of mouth has more of an impact than traditional forms of advertising. Having a word-of-mouth marketing strategy is becoming essential for marketers.” Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst at eMarketer.