How your customers feel about you and what they say to others about you impact your business -- perhaps even more than what they buy from you.

The key to maximizing the value of your customer base -- and wisely appropriating your marketing dollars -- is to estimate how much of each customer's value stems from purchases (lifetime value) and how much from referrals (referral value), says this Harvard Business Review piece. Order this paper ($6.50) to find out how to identify customers who bring in the most referrals, and capitalize on that knowledge. For a preview, go here.

A global study from Nielsen this month finds that "'Word of Mouth' is the most powerful selling tool," with 78% of respondents completely or somewhat TRUSTing the recommendation of other consumers.

Compared to various flavors of paid (vs. earned) media, the online study of 26,000+ consumers revealed that 63% of respondents trust newspaper ads, 56% trust TV spots and magazine placements, 34% trust search ads and 26% trust banner ads.

If you're seeking to integrate word of mouth (WOM) marketing into your plans, you may also find helpful this summary of the webinar "7 Key Insights for Joining America's Conversation," from the Keller Fay Group. Founded in early 2006 by two long-time senior execs of Roper & NOP World (now GfK), The Keller Fay Group is the first market research outfit to conduct a continuous study of both offline and online word of mouth from a nationally representative sample. Highlights from the session are below -- with our commentary in italics.

1. Decisions are Conversations

A humorous, spot-on take on the state of the Advertiser-Consumer relationship these days. Created by Geert Desager for Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, it's well worth two minutes to view.

The following article we've penned will appear in tomorrow's Marketing Watchdog Journal published by Bulldog Solutions.

You're invited to submit your ideas for how an unknown Einstein might earn attention in today's media environment for his first published theory.

Submit your idea by commenting on this article below and you could win Steve Martin's fabulous play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile -- and an Albert Einstein Action Figure!

So there may not be any side kicks to the ribs......

Still, we're looking forward to the upcoming "Word of Mouth Marketing - How it Works and the Role of Influencers" WebCast this Wednesday.

Remember the Aqua Teen Hunger Force guerilla marketing fiasco that scared the bejesus out of Boston back in February?

An advertising buddy and I met for cocktails that evening. He had come off a marathon client meeting hashing through the particulars of a national print and TV campaign. On a break, he and his client catch news of the stunt. The meeting winds down. Hanging in the doorway, the client turns to my friend, "Oh, yeah... and give me something viral in all this, will you?"

Puh-lease. Viral is a term that tends to be used naively and recklessly in marketing. It doesn't work at all the same way as, say, buying a print ad.  Be ready for an earful if we get started on this subject in person.

Meantime, for a primer, check out this post from Nielsen Buzzmetrics' Max Kalehoff featuring contributions from Columbia University sociology professor, author and collective dynamics thought-leader Duncan Watts.  Duncan's books and works are fascinating.  Or, learn more straight from Duncan in this short Harvard Business Review article or participate at Small World Project. Connectedness isn't just for Kevin Bacon.

Why a mojito recipe on this blog?

Because I had to slog through a bunch of single-serve recipes before I hit on a volume batch for my refreshingly favorite summertime cocktail.

Iim partial to this one from Bon Appetit, January 2001, makes six. NOTE: Give yourself plenty of time to conjure this labor-intensive creation.

3 cups fresh mint leaves
9 T sugar
1 1/2 cups light rum
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

6 cups crushed ice
6 lime wedges
3 to 6 cups club soda...TASTE first at the 3 cup mark before you add more...I find 6 cups dilutes it too much.

Reserve 6 mint leaves for garnish. Place remaining mint leaves in medium bowl. Add sugar. Mash with wooden spoon until mint is aromatic and oils are released.

Add rum and lime juice and stir until sugar dissolves. Strain mixture into pitcher. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead; refrigerate).

Add club soda to pitcher; gently stir. Fill each of 6 tall glasses with 1 cup crushed ice. Pour mojito over and garnish each glass with 1 mint leaf and 1 lime wedge.

Serves 6

We all face chaos from time to time.   Or lose the forest through the trees.

In this inspiring  NPR: This I Believe podcast, professional organizer Wade Rathke was at a loss about what to do , how to organize in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  He reminds us that listening can show us the way.

The money quotes: 

"The more people talked and the more I listened, it became almost inevitable, maybe even irresistible, for us to organize and do something effective.”

"Listening is good for everyone. When people have to explain something to me, it helps them understand their own needs better. We can decide together what needs to be done, and then take action. Listening strengthens all of our beliefs."

"If you ask people to tell you what problems they have in measuring liquids, they may tell you the glass gets hot, it may break, etc., says Alex Lee, President of Oxo International, creators of one of my personal favorite kitchen tools: the angled measuring cup.

"If you ask them to show you, you witness a highly inefficient process that they wouldn't tell you about because it's the norm."

This NPR interview with Lee teaches two important lessons:

• to Think Different(ly): no wonder Apple feels the love because their products and packaging, too, embody this brand promise;  and
• that finding the problem is "70% of the way there," says Lee