Word of Mouth (WOM) across major consumer categories was down significantly during the 2013 holidays, relative to 2012. There were, however, some clear brand winners this holiday season, along with WOM laggards. The Keller Fay Group has measured the holiday WOM and in this presentation shares the brands that saw the biggest increases in WOM, and those that saw their WOM drop.

1. © 2014 Keller Fay Group | Not to be quoted or distributed without written permission
Putting a Bow on Holiday Season WOM
Keller Fay TalkTrack® Insights
March 2014

2. Introduction: Holiday WOM
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In this report we explore WOM over the
holidays (November and December), including:
- How did WOM during the 2013 holidays
compare to 2012?
- What were the hot holiday brands?
- What brands lost WOM momentum
compared to 2012?

3. Executive Summary
• WOM across major consumer categories was down
compared to 2012.
– Retail/apparel, telecom and tech saw the biggest declines.
• It was a mixed bag for key gift-giving categories;
video game console WOM was up, while children’s
clothing and toys were down.
• New gaming consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One
topped the ‘hot brand’ list for 2013, while Apple and
Walmart saw the biggest WOM declines from 2012.
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4. Key Consumer Categories Saw
Significant Declines in Holiday WOM
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Source: Keller Fay’s TalkTrack®, Nov. – Dec., 2012 & 2013
* Holiday period includes November and December
% of People Talking Daily About Key Consumer Categories
Category Holidays* 2012 Holidays 2013 Difference
Retail / Apparel 46% 40% -6 pts
Telecom 35 30 -5
Technology 43 39 -4
Automotive 33 29 -4
Food / Dining 57 54 -3
Media / Entertainment 51 48 -3
Children’s Products 18 15 -3

5. While WOM for Video Game Consoles Was Up,
Other Gift-Giving Categories Were Down in 2013
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WOM for Key Gift-Giving Categories
People Talking Daily About Category,
Indexed to Holidays 2012
Category Holidays 2013
Video Game Consoles 125
Discount Stores 94
Consumer Electronics 92
Electronics / Office Stores 86
Department Stores 85
Apparel Brands 80
Phone Equipment 80
Children’s Clothing 76
Toys 74
Source: Keller Fay’s TalkTrack®, Nov. – Dec., 2012 & 2013
Leading apparel
brands like Nike,
American Eagle,
Hollister and
Aeropostale all
saw significant
declines in WOM.

6. Two New Video Game Consoles Topped the Hottest Brands
List, While Industry Titans Apple and Walmart Declined
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Holiday Brands: 2013 Hot / Not List*
Ranked by Change in WOM Impressions from Holidays 2012 to 2013
Brand
Increase in WOM
Impressions (Millions)
PlayStation 4 +367
Xbox One 294
Amazon 239
Samsung 152
Sony PlayStation 87
Grand Theft Auto 87
Battlefield 87
Microsoft 85
GameStop 85
Home Depot 77
Brand
Decrease in WOM
Impressions (Millions)
Apple -359
Walmart 263
Halo 216
Call of Duty 199
iPod 187
Dell 166
Xbox 360 164
iPad 154
Sony 150
Toys R Us 149
Source: Keller Fay’s TalkTrack®, Nov. – Dec., 2012 & 2013
* Includes brands from Technology, Children’s Products and Retail / Apparel Categories

7. © 2014 Keller Fay Group | Not to be quoted or distributed without written permission
The Keller Fay Group
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