What role is played by the Guardian, the Observer and their audiences in word of mouth? There is evidence that readers of the Guardian and Observer are more influential when it comes to word of mouth than those of other quality news brands.
Guardian and Observer readers are influential. Our research has enabled us to identify influential people by their common behaviours and attitudes. During the process we have found that people who consume Guardian and Observer content exhibit these behaviours and attitudes to a greater extent than readers of other quality news brands.
What makes someone influential and capable of spreading compelling word of mouth messages? Our research reveals that there are three key qualities ...
  1. They have more Weak Ties than other people. This gives them access to more sources of new information and more people to pass that information on to. Weak Ties are more important than Strong Ties with regard to word of mouth, as it is the distance of the connection that ensures both access to new information and the ability to spread information to new groups of people who might not otherwise have come across it.

  2. They have more Bridging Capital than other people. Bridging Capital is the ability to take an idea or piece of information and contextualise it for an individual or audience that might not have otherwise paid attention to it. Bridging Capital arises when an individual has high levels of both Social Capital (number and diversity of social connections) and Cultural Capital (range of knowledge and discursive ability).

  3. They are comfortable with making Status Bargains. A Status Bargain is when an individual defers to another's point of view on the basis that they will benefit from the increased understanding and will be able to have more informed discussions with others as a result.

We conducted around 350 interviews across ten networks of people. In each network there were both people who consumed the Guardian and Observer and people who consumed other news brands. Though both groups agreed on what qualities made someone influential the really interesting thing to emerge was that, in general, those who read the Guardian and Observer demonstrated these qualities to a greater extent than those who didn't.

We took this qualitative evidence and tested its validity through quantitative research. The results supported our initial findings.

Guardian and Observer readers stand out as possessing all the qualities we have found to be required for influence.

The charts below contain data that backs up our findings.
Click to enlarge them.

Experts in the field agree that Guardian and Observer products and audience exhibit the qualities necessary to drive and facilitate word of mouth.
I'd be willing to bet that they [Guardian readers] probably dig a bit deeper for information, that they're more connected than the average person. They're probably greater influencers.Steve Barton, WOM UK
The Guardian is all about being able to listen, to digest, take on another point of view and to change your side if you wish to, because actually there is no shame in changing your mind. Things like Comment is Free really encourage this kind of consideration. Anna Rafferty, Penguin / Pearson Group
I think the role of the Guardian in pushing word of mouth is probably quite important... it's readers come from more diverse backgrounds and they have more diverse networks - it's not about sheer numbers. Jessica Greenwood, Contagious
I really like the Guardian. Even if I don't specifically agree with what they're saying it's important to have your thinking challenged, and it feels like what they're [the Guardian] about. GNM Consumer