How to master the power of buzz Trendspotters and bestselling authors Marian Salzman and Ira Matathia demystify buzz and show how marketers can create and leverage it for the success of their products and services. The world we inhabit is in constant flux, and the captive audience on which advertisers relied for years no longer exists. Branding today requires a flexibility and creativity that have thus far eluded many traditional practitioners. When there is no clear forum for communicating your brand message to the audience, you must have your audience do it for you. The authors show how and why buzz works, examining case studies like Kate Spade, Madonna, Bulgari, Ford, Nokia, and French Connection. They explore the role specific consumer groups play in setting trends, show how influence works, reveal the efficacy of shock ads, and explain how to manage brand momentum. This book is a dynamic guide that sheds new light on the topic of buzz using real-world examples and case studies that show how marketers can manufacture the seemingly authentic word-of-mouth to which today's cynical consumer responds.
Marian Salzman has worked at the leading edge of advertising, public relations, and technology for more than three decades. Since co-founding the world’s first online market research company, she has served as a communications executive at companies in the United States and Europe. Her annual forecasting report on the coming year’s trends, released each November, garners global media attention. A graduate of Brown University and the recipient of numerous awards, Marian Salzman lives in Connecticut and Switzerland.