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Email ThisIt’s a strategy, not a department, and it can make or break all of the following:
- Authors
- Politicians
- Activist groups
- Bands
- Consumers
Yeah, consumers use marketing too. I’ve never heard anyone talk about it as marketing, but that’s precisely what’s happening. On the leading edge of trend adoption, you always find the early adopters doing what we like to call “touting.” Touting equals marketing.
Ever twittered about a great movie? Called someone because you found their next rare album on sale at a record store? Recommended a restaurant based on the service? Made someone a mix CD (or a Muxtape) of music they just had to hear? You were marketing. You were spreading ideas with the intent of changing people’s behaviors.
The populist marketing habit might seem like a behavior reserved for the militant indie music fan, bent on a reign of obscure bands with innocuous names. It’s not only for fanatics, though; it’s just more subtle coming from the sane. What you don’t realize is how important it is. Not to the brand you’re spreading– I mean it’s important to you, the supporter, the idea-spreader.
We do it for three reasons (that I can find). They are:
1. Affirmation
Who doesn’t like being the starter of a killer trend, or the one who got all their friends to finally go see Juno before it was widely loved? It’s a cheap thing to brag about, sure. But it feels great to share something and later be proven right. I can’t claim to have never done this, and be honest, neither can you.
2. Generosity
You’ve found something you can selflessly recommend to someone, knowing that person will be deliriously happy with the thing you tell them about. Great reason indeed, and one that marketers should always be trying to inspire in their customers. But let’s face it: some people won’t go out of their way for this reason alone, so it’s a tough one to count on.
3. Loyalty
This is the one that (corporate) marketers should be trying so hard to secure: your loyalty to the company, the brand, or the product. This is the very reason Mac users won’t shut up or take the stickers off their cars (love you mackies). It’s the reason so many music fans tell you to go buy the album now (but no way will they copy it for you, that would be stealing from the band they love). They’re not thinking of their own affirmation or even your pleasure; they love this thing, whatever it is, so much that they’ll make themselves borderline unapproachable in order to support its spread.
Customer, why do you spread ideas?
Company, why does your customer spread your ideas?
What would make someone love you enough to spread your ideas for nothing in return?
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touting=buzz marketing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_mouth
Efforts increase buzz marketing makes up a large percentage of a companies marketing budget in some way or another. One of the main reasons that companies put their name on everything they give out to customers is hopes that the customer will tell others about it. Vault was on my campus recently giving out free samples, when a student walks into the class room drinking Vault they will say something about it and Vault is the talk of campus for a couple days. The students who missed out the free samples may go purcahse one so they aren’t missing out on the action.
There are many companies who target young adults to take surveys, while they care about the opinion of their potential customers they will send (generally) 10 to 15 samples to the individual for them to give to their freinds. Essentially they are getting their marketing work done for free. There is a whole science to it, its pretty interesting.
I think you nailed the motivation for people to participate in buzz marketing on the head though, especially reason number one, affirmation.