Monday, April 8, 2002
Hand-Held Makers Woo 'Influencers' For Cheap Marketing
Posted by Jason Dunn in "NEWS" @ 12:33 PM
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB1017613036318831800,00.html
Articles like this are very gratifying to see. When Microsoft began to reach out to some of the influentials (like MVPs) in late 1999, I knew they were on to something big. Most companies ignore influentials - hell, most companies ignore their customers. It takes a certain type of person to engage someone who uses your product, and be prepared for the onslaught of both praise and complaints that it entails - Derek Brown was that guy back in 1999. He's been at it for a few years now, and recruited team members like Beth Goza to carry the torch, yet this article talks about enthusiast marketing as if it's a "new, new thing". To most companies, I suppose it is.
I wonder if they realize how powerful the opinions of these influentials are? I'm still looking for a new digital camera, yet if I see a camera I'm interested in getting a poor review over at DPREVIEW, I won't touch it with a ten foot pole. I had my heart set on an Olympus E-20 until I read the review and saw that Olympus hadn't addressed the issues that the first review brought up. So Olympus loses a sale - do they understand that?
"With tough times in Silicon Valley, many makers of hand-held devices, facing cuts in their marketing and advertising budgets, are trying to woo people like Ms. Strietelmeier, one of about 50 around the country known by the industry as "influencers."
These folks run Web sites that review hand-held products or manage fan clubs devoted to the devices. Many consumers turn first to these influencers' recommendations before purchasing a hand-held computer. As a result, the makers are turning to them as a creative -- and cheap -- marketing strategy." Source: Pocket PC Passion
On another note, I must be perceived by the media as being really unfriendly or scary - I never get contacted for things like this. :-)
Articles like this are very gratifying to see. When Microsoft began to reach out to some of the influentials (like MVPs) in late 1999, I knew they were on to something big. Most companies ignore influentials - hell, most companies ignore their customers. It takes a certain type of person to engage someone who uses your product, and be prepared for the onslaught of both praise and complaints that it entails - Derek Brown was that guy back in 1999. He's been at it for a few years now, and recruited team members like Beth Goza to carry the torch, yet this article talks about enthusiast marketing as if it's a "new, new thing". To most companies, I suppose it is.
I wonder if they realize how powerful the opinions of these influentials are? I'm still looking for a new digital camera, yet if I see a camera I'm interested in getting a poor review over at DPREVIEW, I won't touch it with a ten foot pole. I had my heart set on an Olympus E-20 until I read the review and saw that Olympus hadn't addressed the issues that the first review brought up. So Olympus loses a sale - do they understand that?
"With tough times in Silicon Valley, many makers of hand-held devices, facing cuts in their marketing and advertising budgets, are trying to woo people like Ms. Strietelmeier, one of about 50 around the country known by the industry as "influencers."
These folks run Web sites that review hand-held products or manage fan clubs devoted to the devices. Many consumers turn first to these influencers' recommendations before purchasing a hand-held computer. As a result, the makers are turning to them as a creative -- and cheap -- marketing strategy." Source: Pocket PC Passion
On another note, I must be perceived by the media as being really unfriendly or scary - I never get contacted for things like this. :-)
