A friend or a co-worker raves over a new restaurant or a cool pair of sneakers. Harmless right? Maybe not. You might have been the latest one drawn into a marketing campaign, that those inside the advertising business call “word of mouth.” Or more simply, “buzz.”
Cutting away from the clutter of commercials on TV and radio, companies are going underground to market their products — co-opting your friends and family to “buzz you” by talking up everything from batteries to jeans, perfume and kitchen countertops. Some say it’s bringing more truth to advertising — others say it’s a pernicious form of consumer camouflage.
Guests:
Dave Balter, founder of Bzz Agents
Rob Walker, author of The New York Times Magazine “Consumed” column
Bob Garfield, writer for Ad Age Magazine and host of “On The Media”
Melanie Murphy, Bzz Agent.