1) Word of mouth marketing impacts a large portion of the US economy, with 13% largely driven by positive consumer discussions and 54% partially influenced by word of mouth. 2) Consumers highly value word of mouth recommendations because they see the sources as trustworthy given their perceived lack of bias, and find the recommendations relevant when making purchase decisions. 3) Customers who are highly satisfied and likely to recommend brands are more frequent users of those brands compared to indifferent or fulfilled customers.