A Google user
ZMOT is "the moment where marketing happens", according to Jim, "where consumers make choices that affect the successes and failure of nearly every brand in the world."
In a nutshell, it's the a-ha moment that predicates whether or not a consumer takes the next step towards a purchase decision. It is nothing new. This buyer behavior has gone on since the beginning of commerce. It is perhaps only in the past decade where data visualization and business intelligence has enabled marketers and business owners to see trends in purchase behavior and adapt to those changes with the various marketing media, ad display tools, or streaming content in newer, faster ways than in previously allowed by earlier generations of software and technology.
The research methodology: a comissioned study of 5,000 shoppers across 12 subcategories (automotive, consumer electronics, voters, travel, OTC health, CPG Grocery, CPG health/beauty/personal care, quick serve restaurants, banking, insurance, credit card, and investments) to see which sources influenced shopper buying decisions.
The e-book suggests:
- Increase your media ad budget online since online decision making is skyrocketing
- "The average shopper used 10.4 sources of information to make a decision in 2011, up from 5.3 sources in 2010." What this really means is that the more sources of information that are provided to consumers about your products/services the more likely they are to make a purchase decision. Examples of info sources include tv commercials, magazine articles, reccs from friends/family, websites, ratings, online blogs, etc.
- Be ready for the new digital shelf when a consumer searches online for your product(s).
- Have a stimulus plan (where ad impressions get made), shelf plan (where people do their buying), and product plan (self explanatory).
- You aren't going to have a ZMOT experience if you aren't searching for content online through a mobile device or desktop pc. (Hint: use Google search)
- Have the appropriate ad targeting strategy in place for specific product categories. The figure below shows how long consumers dwell on researching a product before making a purchase. (figure3-2)
- Be open to product reviews, the good and the bad.
The e-book is a free download, and rather than spill the rest of the beans about it. You could fast-forward through much of it and get to the juicy details which starts at around page 44 (How to win at ZMOT), where the section on "Seven smart ways to start winning at ZMOT right now) is included. The really juicy details (data and charts) are in the appendix.
Overall, it's a decent read. I think a non-marketer would get more mileage out of its content. I give it three stars because it's an advertorial for Google products and services. There is an interesting storytelling aspect to this book; without it, the content would be like reading a market research synopsis on dmnews.
A Google user
The ebook “Winning the Zero Moment of Truth” (ZMOT) is my new bible as a marketing consultant. This ebook is vital for educating media leaders on "how" the access to research information with zero effort on the internet is changing consumer buying patterns. Not to sound evangelistic but the concepts in ZMOT should be taught in marketing classes, small business workshops and to everyone who is trying to understand as Lecinski stated "the new marketing rulebook."
As a marketing consultant, this ebook has captured an articulate way for me to explain exactly what is going on in the digital world to my clients. Thank you so much. Now, when a business owner does not want to change his brochure website, I will give them this ebook to read.
Holly Campbell
Opportunity Marketing Systems
A Google user
Hey Google, why don't you charge 0.25 cents for this e-book. Most people would find that a reasonable cost for processing the transaction, and it would eliminate all of those negative reviews about asking for credit card information. Right now, you seem to be just ticking people off. I couldn't even find a good review, just people complaining about the credit card issue. This has hurt your credibility and quite possibly proven your ZMOT theory in a negative way. M. Joseph