This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Carl, W. J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

What's All The Buzz about?

Everyday Communication and the Relational Basis of Word-of-Mouth and Buzz Marketing Practices

Northeastern University

Although the influential role of word-of-mouth communication has been known for decades, a more recent phenomenon is the emergence of explicit organizational efforts to stimulate "buzz" (contagious talk about a brand, service, product, or idea). Buzz marketing organizations either pay people, or seek volunteers, to try new brands and then have agents "talk them up" among their social networks. This article contends that the practice of buzz marketing is usefully framed within the study of everyday communication, which has shown considerable growth in the field of communication studies over the past decade. This framework provides a reliable scientific source and basis on which to base further claims about the effectiveness and ethics of buzz marketing.

Key Words: word-of-mouth communication • buzz marketing • social consequences of interpersonal influence model • everyday talk/institutional interaction • ethics

Management Communication Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 4, 601-634 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0893318905284763


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. C. Nisbet and J. E. Kotcher A Two-Step Flow of Influence?: Opinion-Leader Campaigns on Climate Change Science Communication, March 1, 2009; 30(3): 328 - 354. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Duck Silver anniversary essay: A past and a future for relationship research Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, February 1, 2008; 25(1): 189 - 200. [PDF]