WOMMA Announces Inaugural Word of Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame Inductees

CHICAGO, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is proud to induct Dave Balter, Pete Blackshaw and Ed Keller into the Word of Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame. These three marketing industry leaders have greatly contributed to the advancement and success of word of mouth marketing.  The ceremony will be held November 18 at WOMMA's Summit in Hollywood, California.

Dave Balter started one of the first and most successful pure-play word of mouth marketing agencies, BzzAgent, and was a critical driver in bringing credibility to the word of mouth marketing industry. Dave co-founded WOMMA and currently serves on its Board of Directors. He co-authored two books related to word of mouth marketing, Grapevine and Word of Mouth Manual: Vol. II.

Seth Godin, author and marketing guy says, "Dave Balter is an almost unique combination of smarts, drive and menschiness. He cares about his people, his customers and his users in equal measure, and he not only sees things before other people do, he does something about it. Thanks, Dave, for keeping things interesting!"

Pete Blackshaw is the Global Head of Digital & Social Media at Nestlé, S.A. and also co-founded WOMMA and PlanetFeedback.com, which was an early leader in collecting consumer feedback. He served as Chairman of the Board of the National Council of the Better Business Bureau and as a member of the National Advertising Review Council. He's a 2010 Grand Prize winner of the "Great Minds" award from the Advertising Research Foundation and the author of Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000.

"Pete was in my section in business school. He organized our school's very first online class – in 1994. He has always been ahead of his time – and he is a world-class marketer and even better friend," says Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook.

Ed Keller is CEO and co-founder of the Keller Fay Group, a market research and consulting firm devoted to word of mouth, and the only firm to provide ongoing measurement of all word of mouth, both offline and online. His industry leadership, groundbreaking research and award winning research and authorship have shaped the industry, and Ed has been called "one of the most recognized names in word of mouth." The publication of his 2003 book, The Influentials, has been called the "seminal moment in the development of word of mouth." Keller's most recent book, The Face-to Face Book (co-authored with COO Brad Fay), was named 2013 Best Book in Marketing by the American Marketing Association.

According to Emanuel Rosen, author of Anatomy of Buzz, "Ed Keller is a visionary who had recognized the growing importance of WOM before many others … Ed has made invaluable contributions to the growth and development of word-of-mouth marketing."

All WOMM Hall of Fame inductees must have made significant, positive contributions to, and exhibited exemplary ethical conduct within, WOMM in one or more of the categories of Lifetime Achievement, Thought-leadership, Entrepreneurship or Education. 

"We are excited and proud to induct these three incredible individuals into the Word of Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame because their leadership, innovations, groundbreaking research, and authorship have helped shape and grow the industry. To permanently recognize them is not only a testament to their achievements and dedication, but also to the power and impact of word of mouth marketing," says Suzanne Fanning, President of WOMMA.

For more information on the WOMM Hall of Fame and the 2014 inductees, visit WOMM Hall of Fame. To learn more about WOMMA Summit 2014 in Hollywood, CA, or to register, visit www.wommasummit.com.

About WOMMA
The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is the official trade association dedicated to word of mouth and social media marketing. Founded in 2004, WOMMA is the leader in ethical word of mouth marketing practices through its offline education professional development opportunities, and knowledge sharing with top industry marketers. WOMMA's membership is made up of the most innovative companies.

Contact:
Suzanne Fanning
President
WOMMA
312.853.4400
[email protected]

SOURCE Word of Mouth Marketing Association