At Eclipse we’ve been banging the drum for word of mouth with some vigour for quite a while. Now, it seems a new survey backs up our belief in brand advocacy.

The European Advocacy Study shows that brand advocacy – or word of mouth – is five times more effective at driving sales than advertising in the UK. Auto and PC brands were the most likely to be bought as a result of word of mouth marketing across Europe.

And what appealed most to customers? A brand’s ability to ‘surprise and delight’. So plenty of scope there for some really creative marketing.