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Setting the Standard in Word-of-Mouth Targeting

Our platform builds on psychological and sociological findings and complexity theory research coming out of the Cambridge University Theoretical Physics department 15+ years ago. Today, that foundation powers software trusted by hundreds of organisations to turn word-of-mouth into measurable impact.

100

+

Organisations supported

25

Scientific publications

Humans Are Herd Animals

Behavioural science shows most decisions aren’t made by logic alone: They’re shaped by friends, family, and the people around us. That offline influence drives brand growth in a few powerful ways:

Imitation

People buy the products and services their friends use. 88% of consumers trust recommendations more than any other form of advertising [1].

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Consistency

People want to seem consistent: Once they make a choice, they want others to see them stick with it. When friends know someone uses a brand, they’re more likely to stay loyal for longer [2].

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Social proof

Knowing other people are buying a product makes consumers more confident in their own decisions; they’re more likely to purchase and likely to spend more when they do [3].

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Using Network Science to Map the Herds

Most of our purchases are shaped by the people around us. This herd mentality is formed offline: In neighbourhoods, workplaces, homes.

That makes it hard to quantify—and even harder for marketers to leverage.

To understand, model, and predict customer behavior, brands need to understand the pattern of relationships between people.

Network science is the toolbox that allows Herdify to do just that: Decoding the patterns within purchasing behaviour.

Why Do Some Brands Spread and Others Don’t?

Word-of-mouth travels through networks, grows with reinforcement, and follows patterns most brands never see. Let’s break down the science behind this human influence.

Scale Free Networks
Complex Contagion
Small World Networks
Wide Bridges
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Scale Free Networks

Network science reveals something surprising: The pattern of connections between people often matters as much as the behaviour itself. In many real-world networks—including social networks—connections aren’t evenly distributed. Most people influence a very small number of others, but a few people are connected to many. It’s their position in the network that determines how far and how fast behaviour spreads [4].

Complex Contagion

When it comes to switching brands, forming habits, or changing opinions, one message isn’t enough: People need reinforcement from multiple sources. These are complex contagions. The spread depends on network structure: Real behaviour change happens with repetition and reinforcement [5].

Small World Networks

"Six degrees of separation" is the concept that any person can be connected to any other person through a chain of acquaintances with no more than six steps. Additionally, friends of friends are often friends themselves. Both properties are natural features of social networks, helping ideas travel far and fast [6].

Wide Bridges

Influence spreading between social groups through a single connection lacks reinforcement and rarely results in behaviour changes. By contrast, influence spreading between groups over multiple overlapping connections can nurture social proof and reinforcement. These are called wide bridges: Their repeated links make people far more likely to adopt new behaviours [7].

Rigorously Tested, Repeatedly Proven

We’ve turned network and behavioural science into practical tools that deliver measurable results and actionable insights.

But our commitment to science extends beyond our products output: Herdify is built to empower your own experimentation, testing, and tailored implementations, so you can learn faster, prove impact, and scale what works.

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Meet The Influencers

herdify influencer and advisor

Dr. Tim Drye

Board Member

herdify influencer and advisor

Dr. Ed Barter

CPO and Co-Founder

Science FAQs

Why does word-of-mouth spread faster in some places than others?
What does Herdify mean by “herd behaviour”?
What is behavioural targeting in marketing?
Why isn’t one message enough to change behaviour?
Can brands really predict where influence will spread?
How does Herdify turn this research into something marketers can use?
How do you find word-of-mouth without social listening?

Put The Science in Action

Want to see how our software predicts where word of mouth will spread before you send a single piece of mail?

Talk to Our Team
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