Buzz and Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

"Buzz" as it applies to Advertising and Public Relations is defined by Wikipedia as the following:

Marketing buzz or simply buzz is a term used in word-of-mouth marketing. The interaction of consumers and users of a product or service serve to amplify the original marketing message. Some describe buzz as a form of hype among consumers, a vague but positive association, excitement, or anticipation about a product or service. Positive "buzz" is often a goal of viral marketing, public relations, and of advertising on Web 2.0 media. The term refers both to the execution of the marketing technique, and the resulting goodwill that is created. Examples of products with strong marketing buzz upon introduction were Harry Potter, the Volkswagen New Beetle, Pokémon, Beanie Babies, and the Blair Witch Project.

It is possible for firms to track the marketing buzz of their products online using buzz monitoring. For some companies it is important to understand the buzz surrounding a product before committing to the market.

Those of us who have the chance and/or the responsibility to create or approve marketing and PR campaigns for any organization are always striving for such "Buzz". This is especially true in the new Internet marketing age where a comment, mentions, re-Tweets and "posts" can be tracked to the extreme degree. We might be close to achieving such buzz with our latest eTapestry marketing campaign. Here is a recent blog post about campaign pictured below from Donald Temper.

Here is an excerpt from his post:

There are all sorts of rules for marketing, whether by direct mail or e-mail. There should be a guarantee. ("Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.") There should be urgency. ("This offer expires in 48 hours.") And so on.

Sometimes the marketing can include a suggestion of exclusivity. ("This offer isn't for everyone–just those who want the best." Or "We're only making this offer to a select few.") One thing I haven’t seen–and I’m an avid reader of marketing advice from Glazer-Kennedy and a slew of others–is: Don't deliberately insult the recipient. Nor have I seen: Don't cast the product you’re marketing in a bad light.

Maybe we can learn something from the folks at eTapestry.com. That company's latest e-mail promo compares its potential customers to dung beetles. But, hey, that's not the end of it. It compares its own product to skunk cabbage.

Mutualism. It's what they call it when two things benefit each other. And just like the dung beetle and skunk cabbage help each other out, so too do eTapestry’s fundraising software and your cause.

Donald we appreciate your flattery and the mention out on the web. I personally think your comments have true merit. Yours is just one of so many comments, emails and notes we have received about the campaign. More importantly our prospective customers have really noticed too! In the economy of 2009 this has been a real blessing for our sales teams.

Please allow me to give credit where credit is due. The campaign was the brainchild of our advertising firm Young and Laramore and Steve Rusche on our team. When they presented it I immediately loved the concept and the offer associated with it. Like the originators of the idea, I had a hunch that our market, consisting of non-profit executives, was smart and witty enough to truly appreciate it and respond. Happily, that has been the case. Boy, I am glad that I am not marketing to attorneys as I was 30 years ago. They picked over every marketing piece and seldom had a sense of humor...

Steve, now what do you suggest for next year?