What is “Buzz” marketing?
Buzz marketing relies on word-of-mouth, the most powerful and cost-effective form of advertising, to spread your message. The campaign is built around the creation of a buzzworthy event – something that will get people talking.
Buzz marketing can use a variety of tactics to spread the word, including social media, public relations and even traditional advertising. However, the approach is different than traditional advertising campaigns. Word-of-mouth is unconventional – it’s not the formulaic approach of most marketing and ad agencies. It’s more authentic, which is why it catches on.
To quote one of the pioneers of buzz marketing, Mark Hughes: “In the buzz marketing model, the consumer tells two friends, those two tell two friends, and so on and so on. If you haven’t given people something clever, amusing, catchy, remarkable…if you haven’t given them something they’ll enjoy sharing with others to entertain to sound smart or clever – forget it. You ain’t got buzz.”
Some examples:
* A start-up Internet company known as Half.com found a city in the US named Halfway, and paid the town to change its name to “Half.com” for a year. The ensuing media buzz (including interviews on the Today show) led to the company’s sale a year later to eBay for $300 million.
* A chiropractor in Los Angeles named Jeff Greenfield opted not to use traditional yellow pages ads for his practice. Instead, he offered free service for people who did not have insurance – on the condition that they would tell all their friends and families about him. He also hosted a weekly dinner at a restaurant in which he invited people to attend and paid for their meals, all in exchange for giving him a chance to explain his practice. His practice grew into a multimillion dollar business.
* Look no further than corporate behemoths like Starbucks, Harley Davidson, and Google. None of these titans used any advertising – instead, all relied upon an exceptional brand, product, and word-of-mouth referrals.
Many businesses rely strictly on referrals and believe their marketing efforts should somehow be separate. In fact, these two should work in conjunction.
To create and pull-off a buzz advertising campaign, we’ll rely heavily on a creative idea or buzzworthy news event to generate attention. Each buzz marketing campaign is different, and pricing will be based on the tactics employed. To be truly effective, it is recommended that a six-month commitment be made to the program.
