Buzz Marketing is a form of marketing that is based on the interaction between consumers during which consumers share and distribute information regarding products and services amongst each other. In essence, modern-day Buzz Marketing functions by recruiting fans that are then referred to as advocates of the brand. Once recruited, the advocates are then treated as an infrastructure that will then multiply onwards into further when each recruited fan recruits further fans. This process continues until a complete fan following has been put into place that can be trusted to reflect and promote a positive image of the brand across the general public (Hedges and Chung). The following paragraphs shall attempt to shed light on the relevance of Buzz Marketing in the modern-day consumer market.
Research has shown that there may be strong ties between Buzz Marketing or Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing and Customer Acquisition. The need to acquire an understanding of Word to Mouth Marketing becomes all the more imperative when one considers the fact that modern-day WOM Marketing is based heavily on social networking websites that are based on the fundamental concept of networking and referrals (Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels). It is imperative to highlight at this point that this particular modern-day form of WOM Marketing is also referred to as eWOM and is considered to be an essential element in the influencing of the judgment that consumers develop regarding a product (Lee and Youn). A fact that makes social networking websites highly relevant to the discussion of WOM Marketing is that as it continues to mature over the social platform it strengthens and often amplifies the effect of rudimentary marketing tools and techniques.
“The elasticity for WOM is approximately 20 times higher than that for marketing events and 30 times that of media appearances” (Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels 98).
WOM Marketing, or WOM as it is now referred to as is now being replaced by blogging which allows consumers to carry out just as much interaction amongst each other regarding new and old products and services but with the fact that the interaction takes place in an environment where the consumer is exposed to multiple sources of information.
Firstly, it was observed in Lee and Youn that blogging allows internet users to share information by posting entries on their websites or websites devoted to blogging. The user generally has complete independence to post on the internet and is therefore at liberty to denounce or appreciate any element that the user wishes. While blogging came forth as a method of expression and was initially supported by segments that believed profoundly in the freedom of speech, it has now evolved to a point where it is recognized as an extremely imperative marketing instrument and is addressed to the same degree of relevance by modern-day organizations.
Secondly, Dillenberger elaborated that not only does blogging allow users to read through former blog entries enabling them to develop their own individual perception about the subject product/service but the modern-day consumer can educate himself/herself about products and services that any idea or review that is floated through blogs. This serves to reduce the overall effect of blogs as channels for the WOM to take effect from. The second outcome observable in this case is the fact that the degree of control that product/service providers had on the spreading of the WOM is no longer sufficient to control or moderate the nature of the WOM.
In light of the above discussion, we can surmise that WOM Word or WOM Marketing is no longer an instrument that can be expected to bring success to a product/service in the present-day market. Modern-day marketing techniques have to be of a nature so that they can ensure that the information provided to the consumer does not discourage sales and does not violate ethical considerations at the same time (Hedges and Chung). The element of ethical considerations is essential to highlight since ethical considerations are very rarely kept in context when consumers are expressing their attitudes, experiences, and opinions towards products/services in their blogs.
Works Cited
Dillenberger, Cassandra. “Social Media Networking: The New Frontier for Interacting With Customers.” Contractor’s Business Management Report (2009): 14-15.
Hedges, Tina and Sarah Chung. “Word-of-Mouth Marketing will Change your Business.” Global Cosmetic Industry (2009): 48-50.
Lee, Mira and Seounmi Youn. “Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM).” International Journal of Advertising (2009): 473-499.
Trusov, Michael, Randolph E. Bucklin and Koen Pauwels. “Effects of Word-of-Mouth Versus Traditional Marketing: Findings from an Internet Social Networking Site.” Journal of Marketing (2009): 90-102.