The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to BuyOne American in ten tells the other nine where to shop, what to buy...even how to vote. The Influentials tells who they are, and how they can be influenced. Who are they? The most influential Americans—the ones who tell their neighbors what to buy, which politicians to support, and where to vacation—are not necessarily the people you'd expect. They're not America's most affluent ten percent or best-educated ten percent. They're not the "early adopters," always the first to try everything from Franco-Polynesian fusion cooking to digital cameras. They are, however, the 10 percent of Americans most engaged in their local communities...and they wield a huge amount of influence within those communities. They're the campaigners for open-space initiatives. They're church vestrymen and friends of the local public library. They're the Influentials...and whether or not they are familiar to you, they're very well known to the researchers at RoperASW. For decades, these researchers have been on a quest for marketing's holy grail: that elusive but supremely powerful channel known as word of mouth. What they've learned is that even more important than the "word"—what is said—is the "mouth"—who says it. They've identified, studied, and analyzed influence in America since the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (now Exxon) hired Elmo Roper himself to develop a model for identifying opinion leaders, and in The Influentials, they are finally ready to share their results. A few samples: • Influentials have been the "early majority"—leading indicators of what Americans will be buying—for more than five decades, from choosing energy-efficient cars in the 1970s to owning computers in the 1980s to adopting 401(k)s and IRAs in the 1990s to using the Internet and cell phones today. • Influentials have led the way in social development as well, from the revival of self-reliance (in managing their own health care, investments, and consumption) to mass skepticism about the marketing claims of everything from breakfast food to politicians. Although America's Influentials have always been powerful, they've never been more important than now. Today, a fragmented market has made it possible for Influentials to opt out of mass-message advertising, which means that a different route must be taken to capture their hearts and minds. The Influentials is a map for that route, a map that explains who these people are, how they exercise influence, and how they can be targeted. The Influentials features a series of rules and guidelines for marketing to Influentials; case studies of products that have prospered because of Influential marketing (and products that have failed because they lacked it); a history of the phenomenon...and why Influentials are more influential today than ever; and profiles of twelve real-life Influentials. Both an intellectual adventure and a hands-on marketing manual, The Influentials is an extraordinary gold mine of information and analysis that no business can afford to ignore. |
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17 points active advertising American Dream Americans saying areas asked average person best buys brands cell phones companies connection consumer create decisions difference from total e-mail entials environmental example feel Figure fluentials friends half of Influentials hobby ideas important Influ influence Influential Americans Influentials say Influentials think interest Internet investing involved Irvington Isabel Milano issues large numbers Larry Lee learning Leonard Pitt lives magazines Mike Williams million nation newspaper numbers of Influentials one’s opinion leaders parents Percentage of Influential percentage point difference personal computer points higher political problems programs response restaurants Roper Reports self-reliance Shelley Miller society Sophie Glovier sources substantially sumer television there’s they’re things three in four tials Tim Draper tion total public trend values what’s whole word-of-mouth
Popular passages
Page 18 - Now here is a list of things some people do about government or politics. Have you happened to have done any of those things in the past year?
Page 19 - Written or called any politician at the state, local, or national level b. Attended a political rally, speech, or organized protest of any kind c. Attended a public meeting on town or school affairs d. Held or run for political office e. Served on a committee for some local organization f. Served as an officer for some club or organization g. Written a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine or called a live radio or TV show to express an opinion h.
Page 16 - The mass of absolutely illiterate, of feeble-minded, grossly neurotic, undernourished and frustrated individuals, is very considerable, much more considerable there is reason to think than we generally suppose.
References to this book
Profit Brand: How to Increase the Profitability Accountability and ... Nick Wreden Limited preview - 2007 |