Buzz-Informed Predictions for 2005
Next year's marketing hits -- and misfires. (If I'm right, don't shoot the messenger!)
Next year's marketing hits -- and misfires. (If I'm right, don't shoot the messenger!)
When not writing this column, I’m usually analyzing and interpreting lots and lots of buzz; buzz on forums, buzz on blogs, buzz around the water cooler. Marketers actually pay for this analysis because it shines a light on how consumers think and feel. That, in turn, informs better assumptions about what’s coming. This always comes in handy when spending money, planning a marketing campaign, or dodging an attack.
This year brought a great deal of attention and visibility to the practice of monitoring buzz and word of mouth. We saw the explosion of blogs, establishment of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), and a New York Times Magazine cover story on buzz marketing. There were spirited and continual debates over word-of-mouth ethics and a slew of research reports on this topic, including a recent Pew study noting nearly a third of all Internet consumers contribute online opinions, reviews, or ratings.
So with buzz as a backdrop, I couldn’t resist the temptation to wrap up the year with a few predictions for 2005 about marketing and advertising, informed by both consumer and industry buzz. If I’m wrong, forgive me. If I’m right, please don’t shoot the messenger.
Oh, and did I mention that ubiquitous PR-industry blogger Steve Rubel will almost certainly leave his current PR firm to start a new communications agency entitled Macro Persuasion?
With that last prediction, I, too, will go silent. Thanks for listening.