What’s the Buzz About Buzz Marketing?

There’s a new marketing catchphrase that’s getting rave word-of-mouth reviews. From articles in the popular press to conversations in the classroom huge companies to boutique marketing firms suddenly it seems you can’t talk about new products without addressing ’buzz marketing.’ ”People are buzzing about buzzing ” says Wharton marketing professor Barbara Kahn who adds along with others that word-of-mouth marketing has long been recognized as a way to influence consumer behavior. What’s new about buzz marketing is the structure and hype surrounding it and the attempts to measure its effectiveness on sales.