The Anatomy of Buzz
July 11th, 2008 Posted in Helpful Hints, Raves, Video Marketing
My mom has no idea what 3G mobile technology means.
But she knows that the Apple iPhone 3G comes out tomorrow. The buzz is on her lips, and everyone’s lips.
My personal measure of marketable buzz is: if my parents are talking about it, it’s big.
How does Apple consistently generate such big buzz? How does any company or movie or product or restaurant or web service generate it, and how do they measurably turn it into revenue?
Being in the viral video business, I have a vested interest in creating tactics for generating buzz about my videos and media, be it for marketing clients or for personal entertainment projects. Here are the characteristics of buzz:
#1 Buzz is Real, But Fleeting
Screenwriter John August and Ask A Ninja’s Kent Nichols have been downplaying the importance of film festival buzz on their blogs.
From Kent:
“I view awards [and film festival wins] as a karmic thumbs up that I’m going in the right direction. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I agree with them in that buzz alone does not create a career, or even a job, but it can generate a first step into a different world. Once in that world, of course, you need to back it up with talent, training, and hard work.
#2 Buzz is Triangulation
Buzz is hearing about something from multiple channels on multiple levels. Media, social, and personal.
Iron Man was a perfect example of a buzz-worthy summer blockbuster movie. The industry said it was good. The commercials made it look good. The reviews were good. All that is standard mass marketing, however. Those media outlets can be bought. The most important component to buzz can’t be bought…
The most important component to buzz, of course, is people. Regarding Iron Man, people I actually connect with said it was good: friends, strangers, acquaintances, bloggers. Then my mom said it was good, and there you go. Buzz achieved.
Iron Man
#3 Buzz is Buzz-Worthy!
Believe the hype! Buzz only works if the thing is actually worthwhile. The iPhone really is as cool as promised. Many friends say its the best device they’ve ever owned bar-none. But there is nothing lamer than buzz for something unbuzz-worthy. But that’s subjective, so be sure to narrow your buzz projecting to audiences that fit your product.
Case in point: Bon Iver. I’m the perfect audience for the indie rock album. So, when I heard about it on public radio, read about it on Pitchfork, and saw it on a friend’s iTunes shared folder, that was enough buzz for me. The media matched my tastes and my friend brought it home. I bought the album on iTunes.
Bon Iver
Takeaway on buzz: generate media and talking points for all kinds of talkers. Reporters from big media. Bloggers. Message boards. Casual fans using Facebook or MySpace. They’ll spread messages to all levels of people, and if it all coordinates on one set of ears, you’ll get the buzz you’re looking for.
