Buzz marketing, or how rumours take over the crowd

Lots of noise for… something! What all well-thought-out strategies, in-depth planning, and advanced models fail to achieve, buzz marketing does. Creating noise around a brand or product, targeting a larger audience that exceeds the buyer’s profile, and generating free advertising are some of the benefits that make it worth implementing.

Buzz marketing gives the audience a story to talk about. And it is more successful than TV posts or print ads. However, to achieve the “wow” effect, you need to follow a few steps, advises the author of “Buzz Marketing” Mark Hughes.

  • Press the six Buzz Buttons:
  1. Forbidden – If something is forbidden, it will be desired! If you introduce a taboo story, sales of the even most boring product will jump up significantly.
  2. Unusual – Include something that shouldn’t be in your ad, something unconventional.
  3. Remarkable – Have someone special tell you something memorable about the product to make it stand out.
  4. Outrageous – Shock the audience, surprise it but press this button carefully, avoiding negative comments.
  5. Hilarious – Humor is not easy to achieve, but if you have it and it works, it’s worth it. Smile at your audience, cheer them up with a funny story.
  6. Secret – Sharing something secret is like a dialogue opening. Push the rumour by letting something slip quietly out of your mouth.

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  • Attract the traditional media – It is an essential part of the distribution of the messages. The launch of a product or service will be extremely difficult if the traditional media channels do not write or talk about it. Follow the hot topics of the day and explore how to relevantly position your message in relation to them.
  • Advertise, gaining interest – Slogans like “Buy from us, buy from us” are not as effective as the specific messages, based on fine-tuned research what the customers want indeed. To turn their heads toward your brand and product, check what attracts their attention, do not rely on trivial cliches. 
  • Climb Everest of the rumour – This means to transform your brand by doing things that others failed to achieve. Create a story bot real and ambitious. And remember, the top is conquered at challenging moments when it seems least expected.
  • Act creative – Courage, strategy, customer insights, competitiveness, attention to the words and content creation – these are the key indications to observe when working on your buzz marketing. Let expertise and inventiveness spread around.
  • Keep track of your products – What you produce should amaze people, provoke them to talk about it constantly. Victor Kiam says that the first rule of marketing is to have a great product. The second is never to forget the first one. If you manage to keep the interest in your brand, sales and ratings will follow.

Read more:

Five steps to reach the empowered consumer

4 ways to correct a failed marketing campaign