That buzz thing?

[RadioGirl]

For some products it is indeed accidental, but for others it is very intentional and a great deal of planning and market research is involved in getting the buzz going.

Only the market can decide what is truly buzzworthy enough to go viral - and that's why it can be difficult to predict. But it's not difficult to achieve if you know your target market and can accurately get inside their mind to identify what they are likely to find sparks their imagination enough to pass it on. It is not something that is limited to the lucky or the privileged few...but it is work and so (as with all marketing investments) takes either time or money to bring to fruition.

[vangogh]

I agree completely Patrysha. I do think at times the buzz isn't planned for, but more often than not it is planned for. And while you can't always predict what the market will find buzzworthy and what they'll make viral, you can still understand why it generally happens and help your message to become more likely to go viral.

I think too many forget to bake viral components into the product itself and instead try to tack on a few things at the end. Marketing in general starts with the development of your products and services. It's not something to apply after.

[Aaron Hats]

If all it took was good marketing and $$ then why isn't there a dozen "Tickle Me Elmo" crazes every Christmas instead of one or two? Yes, you can plan for it but it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

[vangogh]

By planning I don't think it's an automatic your product will go viral, but I think by planning you can increase your chances that your message or product will go viral. While you probably can't force it to happen, there are patterns and reasons why one message goes viral and another doesn't. The more you understand the reasons something goes viral the more you can build that into your product and subsequent marketing to increase your chances.

For example the easier you make it for your message to spread the more likely it will spread. A classic example is hotmail. At the bottom of every email sent through hotmail there was a message saying the email was sent through hotmail with a link to where you could sign up. The simple act of using the product also spread the message making it more likely people would then sign up for a hotmail account and continue to spread the word about it.

[RadioGirl]

Originally Posted by Aaron Hats

If all it took was good marketing and $$ then why isn't there a dozen "Tickle Me Elmo" crazes every Christmas instead of one or two? Yes, you can plan for it but it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

There are a few reasons. First of all, it's not just about marketing or the amount of $$ invested into the project. In fact, some of the best (most effective) buzz campaigns have intentionally used low budget tactics to get the ball rolling.

There are only one or two "blockbusters" in any given season, because that's all there is room for in the collective minds of the marketplace. If everything was a blockbuster, it would lose all meaning (kind of like those never-ending furniture store sales). Only one is going to achieve primacy and get the most attention in any given market. Tickle Me Elmo was huge and got headlines which sent buyers into even more of a frenzy, but the real sought after toy that year was Buzz Lightyear.

That being said, I don't think I'd advise any client to go with buzz marketing as a sole tactic. That would be foolish. Not only are buzz techniques unpredictable, the period of time that they take hold for seems to be getting shorter and shorter...

[Watchdog]

This is my first post here..I hope I'm not hijacking anyones discussion, but I have started a site for a particular industry I spent many years being involved..there was a gap to fill in a national trade magazine that needed articles on pattern development. My site was gaining popularity in what we do - and I was approached by the editor of this particular magazine asking me if I wanted to put together a small article on any pattern that I thought might be of interest to the industry..I accepted. That was in 2003. I still contribute several times a year and my site grows daily and so does our ad revenue.

So what's this got to do with "Buzz"? there are many ways using the unmarketing approach to creating buzz, but it helps if your an expert in the field you're wanting the buzz for and writing articles (mine average 1200 words and I typically include about 5 high-res images...the buzz crosses 25,000 shops every month and online in their web site. I recently worked out a nice deal to include a 1/6 page display ad that runs every month whether we contribute that month or not. This is thousands of dollars of free advertising, more importantly you become known as an expert in your field and it just gets better.

Write your articles with the reader in mind...write them often and give them more then they expect from you..

Total cost for the buzz... 0.00 (zip) about 8 hours a month for the writing and now includes free natioanl advertising.

[vangogh]

Not a bad way to generate some buzz. There really are a number of things you can do and essentially give away to create interest and buzz. I think sometimes it's hard to see how giving away your hard work can be beneficial, but when it's seen in the larger context there can be great advantages.

No worries about hijacking the thread. I think it's still on topic.

[KristineS]

Writing articles can be a great way to generate buzz. Only you can determine the cost effectiveness of that particular method for you, but it can be a great way to get noticed and get your name out there.