The Anatomy of Buzz
July 11th, 2008 | No Comments »
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…
