Book Description
Connected Marketing is a business book about the state of the art in viral, buzz and word-of-mouth marketing. Written by 17 experts working at the cutting edge of viral, buzz and word-of-mouth marketing, Connected Marketing introduces the range of scalable, predictable and measurable solutions for driving business growth by stimulating positive brand talk between clients, customers and consumers.

Edited by marketing consultants Justin Kirby (Digital Media Communications) and Dr. Paul Marsden (Spheeris/London School of Economics), and with a foreword by Emanuel Rosen (author of the bestselling ‘Anatomy of Buzz’) Connected Marketing is a collaborative work written by 17 opinion-leading consultants and practitioners working at the cutting edge of viral, buzz and word of mouth marketing. Contributing authors to Connected Marketing are Stéphane Allard (Spheeris), Schuyler Brown (Buzz@Euro RSCG), Idil Cakim (Burson-Marsteller), Andrew Corcoran (Lincoln Business School), Steve Curran, (Pod Digital), Brad Ferguson (Informative), Justin Foxton (CommentUK), Graham Goodkind (Frank PR), Justin Kirby (Digital Media Communications), Paul Marsden (Spheeris), Liam Mulhall (Brewtopia), Greg Nyilasy (University of Georgia), Martin Oetting (ESCP-EAP European School of Management), Bernd Röthlingshöfer (Independent), Sven Rusticus (Icemedia), Pete Snyder (New Media Strategies) and Thomas Zorbach (vm-people).

The ad industry, as we all know, is prone to a bit of a panic. The thirty-second spot is dead! They cried. The industry is doomed! They wailed. Only the bloggers will survive! They shuddered. And the path to 21st Century marketing enlightenment is far from smooth. Even this week’s issue of America’s Finest News Source The Onion pokes fun at brand advocacy done badly.

So it’s nice that someone (apart from us, obviously) is taking a rational, reasoned and in-depth look at the efficacy of the new marketing techniques gaining ground in the midst of all that ham-fisted renting of hair and gnashing of teeth. Marketing consultants Justin Kirby (Digital Media Communications) and Paul Marsden (Spheeris / London School of Economics) have put together Connected Marketing, a collection of analyses and opinions provided by the pioneers at the forefront of the new wave, examining properly (and in many cases, for the first time) the ways in which buzz, WOM and viral can really affect a brand. Some high profile contributors including Schuyler Brown of Buzz@Euro RSCG and Steve Curran of Pod Digital set out their thoughts on a wide range of topics, like how best to create reliable and dynamic brand advocates, how to harness the power of the internet with a successful viral presence, and how to monitor the wildfire-like spread of a triumphant buzz campaign. The book is divided into two sections examining practice and principles, and hypotheses are backed up with clear case studies, looking at brands all along the consumer spectrum from Sportka to Slendertone.

‘Hype surrounding these terms was just adding to client confusion,’ explains Kirby of the motivation behind the book. ‘Campaigns will never be judged by how well they conform to a marketer’s definition. We’re trying to demystify the basic principles, which are all the same – it's about connecting with people via a network. Buzzword bingo doesn’t help anyone.’