The Anatomy of BuzzLessons in word of mouth marketingemanuel@emanuel-rosen.com @EmanuelRosen

Buzz = customer to customer communication about a brandCUSTOMER AMARKETERCUSTOMER B

We’ll talk aboutStimulating BuzzSocial mediaMisconceptions and ResearchThe future of Buzz5 practical tips

7 Strategies

Marketing Evolution study1. Create Opportunities for Visual Buzz

1. Create Opportunities for Visual Buzz

Sequence MattersJonah BergerWharton32%Berger and Heath “Who Drives Divergence?” J of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008.

2. Make it easy to spread the word. Look for pass-along ops500,000 Facebook members did within 24 hoursGive this gift to a friend

http://www.blogpulse.com/http://www.scoutlabs.com/http://socialmention.comCourtesy ScoutLabs

Bruce PalmerNOLS

3. Give us something to talk* about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1ckCkm8YI

4. Encourage ParticipationGeorge WrightBlendTecBlendTec feedbackmechanism

5. Encourage self expression and creativityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOvEG27Gt4

6. Use Mass MediaShereen UsdinGarth JaphetOn any given day, 55% of Americans have at least one conversation related to media and entertainment.Source: The Keller Fay Group http://youtube.com/watch?v=AqR3aUulqMQ

7. Tell a good storyBlake MycoskieToms Shoeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ8c5QWsCRQ

Strategies Discussed so farCreate opportunities for visual buzzMake it easy to spread the wordGive us something to talk aboutEncourage participationEncourage self-expression / creativityUse mass mediaTell a good story

Social Media with a purpose

Create opportunities for visual buzz

Make it easy to spread the word. Look for pass along ops

Give us something to talk about

Encourage self expression/creativity

Encourage participation

Use Mass Mediahttp://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8477918http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU2BFTqHFz4

Hubstalk more than average about your category.Expert hubs, social hubs.

talk more than average about your category.

Expert hubs, social hubs.

Work with HubsVirgil SimonsProstate NetJames ColemanColeman Brothers barbershop In the first year 10,034 men were screened 442 cases of early-stage prostate cancer identified.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5056161883824941101

In the first year 10,034 men were screened

442 cases of early-stage prostate cancer identified.

“We really had to plant separate seeds in each area”

How to find them?Some of them will find youBy categorySpot them in the fieldThrough surveys. (are you one? Do you know one? Sociometrics)What do Hubs Want?Early access to informationConstant flow of informationClear loyalty expectations

Customers who buy the most don’t always bring most referrals“We found that a high CLV [customer lifetime value] is not a good prediction of CRV [customer referral value]”Promotion focused on referrals and cross selling.ROI was around 15.4 times the costKumar et al. “How Valuable is Word of Mouth?” Harvard Business Review, October 2007

“We found that a high CLV [customer lifetime value] is not a good prediction of CRV [customer referral value]”

Promotion focused on referrals and cross selling.

ROI was around 15.4 times the cost

Pitfalls, Misconceptions and Research

More online buzz or in-person buzz?73% in person (17% phone, 10% online)More positive or negative?63% classified as “mostly positive”Top of the line business suits on sale. Only the first ten customers get 50% discountSome Research About BuzzSource for first two items: The Keller Fay Group.

“We’d never seen anything like this! The passion was there. The word of mouth was there.”Marc SchillerElectric Artists

Volume of buzz is important but so is dispersion“…simple counts are not sufficient. There is valuable information in the extent to which the conversations are taking place across heterogeneous communities…”** Godes & Mayzlin “Using Online Conversations to Study Word-of-Mouth Communication.” Marketing Science 2004

“Viral” is just part of the storyQuestion: A viral campaign to help victims of hurricane Katrina had a much higher virality (0.769) than a viral campaign for P&G’s detergent Tide Coldwater (0.041). Which campaign reached more people?Answer: The Tide campaign because it had a much higher initial reach (960,954 people) than the Katrina campaign (7,064 people)* Watts & Peretti. “Viral Marketing for the Real World.” Harvard Business Review, 2007.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKAInP_tmHk

Question: A viral campaign to help victims of hurricane Katrina had a much higher virality (0.769) than a viral campaign for P&G’s detergent Tide Coldwater (0.041). Which campaign reached more people?

Answer: The Tide campaign because it had a much higher initial reach (960,954 people) than the Katrina campaign (7,064 people)

Advertising still matters21.6% of brand conversations refer to advertising (The Keller Fay Group)Ads can simulate or stimulate buzzAdvertising Increases the pool of potential buzzers*Slogans vs. stories* Nielsen. Niederhoffer et al. “The Origin and Impact of CPG New-Product Buzz” J.of Advertising Research 2007.

21.6% of brand conversations refer to advertising (The Keller Fay Group)

Ads can simulate or stimulate buzz

Advertising Increases the pool of potential buzzers*

Slogans vs. stories

Secondhand BuzzIn one study, 30% of the negative word of mouth was about brands that have never been owned by those who talked about them.** East, et al. “The relative incidence of positive and negative word of mouth” International J of Research in Marketing, 2007.

Those who talk about your productTell us whyTell more peopleTry the productFind. Listen. Protect

Future

Opportunities toTalk to othersObserve othersGet smart helpThings connected

5 tips to get you startedStart with the current buzzAdd a tangible elementCreate an event (a special event)Run a simple tell-a-friend promoAsk your customers to tell their stories6. Listen. Observe. Improve

Ethical issues“We stand against shill and undercover marketing, whereby people are paid to make recommendations without disclosing their relationship with the marketer.”Word of Mouth Marketing Association Code of Ethicswww.womma.org

Everett Rogers1931 - 2004

The Anatomy of BuzzLessons in word of mouth marketingemanuel@emanuel-rosen.com @EmanuelRosen

“Whereas today’s travel recommendation sites force people to weed through long lists of comments and observations left by others, the Web. 3.0 system would weigh and rank all of the comments and find, by cognitive deduction, just the right hotel for a particular user.”John Markoff, New York TimesSmarter Aggregated Buzz

Source: Nicholas Christakis and James FowlerThe New England Journal of Medicinehttp://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/370/DC2