I’m currently reading “Rumeurs, le plus vieux média du monde” as part of my thesis, and one chapter really caught my attention (La rumeur en marketing, pp. 217-231). Jean-Noël Kapferer explains, among other things, how companies use word-of-mouth in different ways. What blows my mind is how spot-on he was back in 1987! What we now call “buzz marketing”—hailed by some as a revolutionary concept—is really just an updated (and trendier?) version of good old word-of-mouth marketing.
Some excerpts & thoughts:
“Several years ago in the U.S., a PR agency called W. Howard Downey and Associates—with offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Toronto—offered a very specific service: kicking off word-of-mouth campaigns through its own employees.”
Sound familiar? That’s exactly what buzz marketing agencies do today—start a rumor or word-of-mouth loop around a product or service. Only now, it’s bloggers and online users who do the spreading. What used to happen in subways, waiting lines, or elevators now happens through blogs, YouTube, and social networks.
“To capture the public’s attention (…) it’s common to use a two-step tactic known as a teaser campaign. (…) The goal is to get the public involved, talking about the mystery, creating collective suspense that fuels word-of-mouth.”
Mystery buzz campaigns—where nobody really knows who or what is behind them—aren’t new either. Kapferer also talks about the idea of an *organized leak*, where a company spreads rumors on purpose to get people talking about it or its products.
“In spontaneous conversations about brands and products, not everyone plays the same role. Some people have real influence in their circles (…): they like sharing opinions, and others seek out their input. (…) Research in sociology and political science in the U.S. has shown (…) that media influence isn’t direct—it’s filtered through people who act as opinion leaders in their circles, even if they don’t have any formal status. (…) These key people act as relays, filters, and go-betweens between media and the public: they inform and evaluate. (…)”
Let’s be real—some bloggers are way more influential than others. Even though there’s still a heated debate around the topic, Kapferer was already making the case that you need these filters—these opinion leaders—to spread your buzz. Sound familiar? Influencer marketing, anyone?
“Opinion leaders tend to be more deeply involved in a given topic (politics, cars, etc.). Because they’re so invested, they seek out information, consume specialized media, and stay in touch with other opinion leaders.”
Whether it’s tech blogs, marketing, trends, lifestyle, politics, arts, or food blogs—specialization is the name of the game. Influential bloggers usually focus on one area, which makes them the go-to people companies approach to seed buzz. Kapferer points out these leaders are highly informed and involved. And yeah, you’ll often find them at events—conferences, meetups, cultural happenings—right in their wheelhouse. They’re also the best informed, since they’re constantly scanning and curating info.
“To launch the now-famous Belgian beer Abbaye de Leffe, the ad agency decided—ironically—not to advertise. (…) Instead, they sent out a beautiful wooden case with four bottles to several thousand people identified as opinion leaders and social influencers, counting on them to spread the word about their ‘discovery.’”
That’s basically the blueprint for buzz kits and promo samples, isn’t it?
“Once identified, opinion leaders receive a more targeted kind of communication. You don’t talk to highly engaged people the same way you do with the general public. These people, because of their expertise and leadership role, expect selective, tailored, exclusive communication that meets their specific information needs. After all, to be a relay, you need something valuable to relay.”
Most bloggers don’t want mass email blasts sent to thousands of people. They want personalized, relevant, and exclusive info. If you want your buzz to spread, you better make sure there’s real value in what you’re sharing—product insights, exclusives, behind-the-scenes content, whatever. No one’s going to pass along something boring.
So… have marketing practices really changed since 1987? Or is it just the platforms and tools that evolved? Makes you think, right? “Rumeurs, le plus vieux média du monde” might still be more relevant than we thought.