Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is the intentional influence of consumer-to-consumer communications by professional marketing techniques. It is also known as social media marketing, viral marketing, buzz, and guerilla marketing. Recent research shows that marketers spent over $1.54 billion on WOMM initiatives in 2008, with the amount expected to rise to $3 billion by 2013. The Internet has empowered marketers to influence and monitor WOM more effectively than before. This article presents a new narrative model of WOM, showing that communal WOM does not simply increase or amplify marketing messages; rather, marketing messages and meanings are systematically altered in the process of embedding them. The theory has practical implications for how marketers should plan, target, and leverage WOM and how scholars should understand WOM in a networked world. The article discusses the evolution of WOM theory, which has undergone three evolutionary shifts. The first model, the organic interconsumer influence model, views WOM as a natural influence between consumers. The second model, the linear marketer influence model, emphasizes the importance of influential consumers in the WOM process. The third model, the network coproduction model, recognizes that marketers can directly manage WOM activity through targeted seeding and communication programs. This model suggests that market messages and meanings are exchanged among members of the consumer network. The article presents a study of a marketing campaign in which mobile phones were seeded with prominent bloggers. Eighty-three blogs were followed for six months. The findings indicate that this network of communications offers four social media communication strategies—evaluation, embracing, endorsement, and explanation. Each is influenced by character narrative, communications forum, communal norms, and the nature of the marketing promotion. The study reveals that bloggers use these strategies in response to the product seeding, with the prominent tension between commercial and communal norms. These strategies have specific implications for how marketers should leverage WOMM campaigns, both online and offline. The article also discusses the transformation of WOM theory and the role of online communities in WOMM. It presents a case study of a WOMM campaign in which a mobile phone was seeded with 90 bloggers. The campaign yielded significant activity, with 84% of the selected bloggers mentioning the phone in their blog. The study reveals that the network of WOM communications alters the nature of the WOMM message and its associated meanings. The four elements that influence the WOMM message are character type, blog forum, communal norms, and promotional characteristics of the WOMM campaign. The article concludes that the network coproduction model provides a new understanding of WOMM in online communities.Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is the intentional influence of consumer-to-consumer communications by professional marketing techniques. It is also known as social media marketing, viral marketing, buzz, and guerilla marketing. Recent research shows that marketers spent over $1.54 billion on WOMM initiatives in 2008, with the amount expected to rise to $3 billion by 2013. The Internet has empowered marketers to influence and monitor WOM more effectively than before. This article presents a new narrative model of WOM, showing that communal WOM does not simply increase or amplify marketing messages; rather, marketing messages and meanings are systematically altered in the process of embedding them. The theory has practical implications for how marketers should plan, target, and leverage WOM and how scholars should understand WOM in a networked world. The article discusses the evolution of WOM theory, which has undergone three evolutionary shifts. The first model, the organic interconsumer influence model, views WOM as a natural influence between consumers. The second model, the linear marketer influence model, emphasizes the importance of influential consumers in the WOM process. The third model, the network coproduction model, recognizes that marketers can directly manage WOM activity through targeted seeding and communication programs. This model suggests that market messages and meanings are exchanged among members of the consumer network. The article presents a study of a marketing campaign in which mobile phones were seeded with prominent bloggers. Eighty-three blogs were followed for six months. The findings indicate that this network of communications offers four social media communication strategies—evaluation, embracing, endorsement, and explanation. Each is influenced by character narrative, communications forum, communal norms, and the nature of the marketing promotion. The study reveals that bloggers use these strategies in response to the product seeding, with the prominent tension between commercial and communal norms. These strategies have specific implications for how marketers should leverage WOMM campaigns, both online and offline. The article also discusses the transformation of WOM theory and the role of online communities in WOMM. It presents a case study of a WOMM campaign in which a mobile phone was seeded with 90 bloggers. The campaign yielded significant activity, with 84% of the selected bloggers mentioning the phone in their blog. The study reveals that the network of WOM communications alters the nature of the WOMM message and its associated meanings. The four elements that influence the WOMM message are character type, blog forum, communal norms, and promotional characteristics of the WOMM campaign. The article concludes that the network coproduction model provides a new understanding of WOMM in online communities.