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The initiative, imported from the US, recognises a new era in brand marketing, which MediaCom defines as the age of dialogue, where consumers are shaping brands and their perception.

The age of dialogue, according to MediaCom, follows on from the age of engagement where reaching people through advertising at the right time and in the right mood was key to effective communication.

But in a digital age of blogging and social networking, shaping the conversations that are taking place about brands in a positive fashion is crucial.

MediaCom will partner with BzzAgent, a company based in Boston, US, which will house the online platform where consumers will register to become conversation leaders and will then record the conversations they have offline about a brand.

BzzAgent was formed six years ago and has 250,000 agents, or conversation leaders, in the US and a client list that includes Procter & Gamble, American Express, Kraft, Kellogg, AOL, Pfizer, VW and Sony.

Agents, who are unpaid, are being recruited in the UK through ads on bbc.co.uk. They are drawn in by the opportunity to find out about new products in their interest areas at an early stage.

Unlike the growing area of online PR, which aims to get brands talked about online to raise their search engine position, BzzAgent does not direct people into blogging online outside of the BzzAgent website. The conversations they have are in the real world, but if they then talk about them online, then this is an indirect benefit. Conversations are reported to clients to be used in product R&D and the formatting of marketing campaigns.

MediaCom's Word of Mouth unit will be staffed by five people providing skills in account management and creative solutions, and led by MediaCom director David Jowett.

The initiative, which will be launched at a Dialogue conference staged by MediaCom on 27 April, is being directed by chief strategy officer Sue Unerman. "Consumers trust word of mouth more than any other medium. It's credible, powerful and influential and the process is measurable," said Unerman.