In September 2007, the research firm Leventer Group surveyed 501 adults in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey on how they choose companies, products and services. Word-of-mouth comments and recommendations were present “en ocho de cada 10 ocasiones en las que se selecciona a una compañía por primera vez” (on eight of every 10 occasions when a company is chosen for the first time).
The study appeared in the journal of AMAI, the Mexican association of market research agencies. Its conclusion was that word of mouth carries more weight when it comes from acquaintances than from people outside the consumer’s close circle.