Experts from MTV Europe, MIT and Microsoft Research Lab to attend first-ever international word of mouth Marketing conference in Hamburg

HAMBURG, Germany 3. 8. (PROTEXT/ots) - Numerous companies aretrying - and in some cases are being compelled - to reduce theirmarketing and advertising expenditures, while at the sameincreasing their turnover. This trend is making phenomena such asword of mouth marketing an increasingly important factor inmarket strategizing.

The first-ever international conference on word of mouthmarketing will be held from October 6-7, 2005 in Hamburg,Germany. More than 200 prominent marketing experts andresearchers from around the world will gather to discuss withother attendees the latest marketing approaches and future trendsin the realm of word of mouth marketing.

The event is being sponsored by Brand Science Institute witha view to providing a forum at which marketing practitioners canproductively exchange experiences and explore unresolved word ofmouth marketing issues. In addition to prominent industry playerssuch as MTV Europe and Millward Brown, researchers from MIT andMicrosoft Research Lab will also be in attendance.

"Positive word of mouth advertising is the top priority intoday's companies, since the number of target groups is nowbeyond the reach of classic marketing channels," noted Dr. NilsAndres, Executive Director and founder of Brand ScienceInstitute. "Our goal in sponsoring this event is to increase thebody of knowledge and catalyze research on word of mouthadvertising by holding workshops and roundtable discussion on therelevant issues with marketing practitioners, creative directors,and researchers."

This international event is aimed at marketing, PR andadvertising managers who would like to obtain a wealth ofinformation regarding current trends and new horizons in therealm of word of mouth advertising. Roundtable discussions heldby subject experts will focus on (among other things) socialsoftware in the guise of weblogs and moblogs, cutting-edgeproduct placement methods, and the efficacious use of consumersas brand messengers.

About Brand Science Institute:

Brand Science Institute is an internationally active businessconsultancy that specializes in bridging the gap between marketresearch and marketing practice. The Institute implements, onbehalf of its corporate customers, new market research approachesand paradigms in day-to-day enterprise marketing managementpractice.

Press contact:

Dr. Nils Andres

Brand Science Institute GmbH & Co.

Elbberg 6, 22767 Hamburg

Tel.: +49-40-410-98-56-0

Fax: +49-40-410-98-56-9

email: HREF="mailto:andres@b-s-i.org" TARGET="_top">andres@b-s-i.org

web: www.b-s-i.org/wom

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