Marketing and PR campaigns can be designed to effectively stimulate positive word of mouth, which is an exponential expansion of word of mouth (WOM). The key to generating enthusiasm is to generate emotion. There are several techniques that marketers can use to successfully accomplish this.
Buzz marketing has achieved massive success with products and brands including Pokémon, Beanie Babies, Tickle-me-Elmo, the Harry Potter books and Zhu Zhu Pets toy hamsters. News can spread exponentially with little or no mass media hype to back it up.
Buzz Marketing’s successful national campaigns include…
During the 2004 Summer Olympics, Dodge released the Pontiac G6. In the marketing campaign for the product launch, Dodge aired short “teaser” ads with an edgy rock theme and the G6 logo, but no car! The idea of this marketing campaign was to create build-up for the launch and generate excitement.
Most recently, ABC put together a marketing campaign for the final season premiere of its hit show LOST. The campaign generated a lot of buzz, especially online. They released trailers and commercials for the new season that did not feature new footage. This kept the online fan forums abuzz with speculation about what was to come.
Another way that a marketing campaign can generate excitement is through product samples. During the 2010 Super Bowl, Dockers aired a commercial announcing a giveaway for free pants. The next morning, the phrase “Dockers free pants” was the top trending search term on Google, the leading search engine.
Using the Internet to generate buzz effectively…
BuzzAgent.com is a website-based company designed to help marketing campaigns spread the word. The site recruits everyday people to actively spread word of mouth about the products its customers are looking to promote. Anyone can join Buzz Agent’s WOM Marketing Network to test new products and spread word of mouth. Some of his current campaigns include DANON Dan Active, Starbucks Pike Place Roast, and Mrs. de Pablo.
Additional internet marketing techniques to take advantage of Buzz include:
- viral marketing – This is a “pass it along” strategy online. Use electronic marketing communications to trigger brand messages through a wide network of buyers. Viral marketing is often accomplished through email marketing campaigns and the distribution of electronic press releases.
- social media – Social networks can be used to generate buzz among a large network of people. Businesses can create Facebook fan pages for their products or brands, tweet about the latest news, and much more using social networking sites. Online video distributions on sites like YouTube can also be very effective for product promotion.
- online guides -These serve as online opinion leaders. About.com, for example, uses online guides to provide original consumer information and advice.