Comments on: Why Shouldn’t We Have More Elmos?

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:01:00 +0000

Hi Ann,
To answer your question: yes there are. In fact, in my firm’s research on marketing to various kids’ demographic groups, there are great examples of companies that have set up buzz marketing efforts. Particularly on college campuses. The thinking is that campuses have their own unique cultures, thus marketers are literally hiring kids to create grassroots buzz for them to a captive audience.
Daily Fix readers might find this Boston Globe article on the subject very enlightening! http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/10/24/building_a_buzz_on_campus

By: Tammy Strnatka

Tammy Strnatka — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:12:55 +0000

Hi Ted, I guess I didn’t mean my question so literally. I was just thinking perhaps it is not done more often because of a potential backfire like the product doesn’t live up to the hype…Verizon’s Chocolate perhaps. Thank you for the explanation! I guess I meant: How do you start one and remain on top of it so it doesn’t blow up in your face? I’m not expressing myself very well today… I’ve been under the weather…
Disney starts promoting their DVD movie releases sometimes as much as a year in advance.

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:05:21 +0000

Great post, Ted. Do any other products come to mind that have tapped into the grassroots buzz….other than the previous Elmo, I mean? (Or other toys are Christmastime.) Just curious.

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:32:08 +0000

Hi Lewis and Tammy,
Thanks for the nice comments. Grassroots buzz happens when product or service companies work to create a sense of excitement or suspense at the community level. In the case of Elmo T.M.X.the toy company got the retail community excited about the unveiling of the brand new Elmo doll. The retailers, in turn, got the customers excited about it. Pretty soon, everybody was waiting with bated breath for the wraps to come off the hottest new toy in the universe. On September 19th, the toy stores couldn’t load their shelves with the new Elmos fast enough–everybody was clamoring for theirs and snapping them up as fast as they could. That points to the end result of conducting a successful grassroots marketing effort.

By: Tammy Strnatka

Tammy Strnatka — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:04:43 +0000

Great blog!
I have often wondered the same thing. I think people just don’t know how to generate a grassroots buzz. OR they’re afraid of it? Anyway, if you haven’t checked these guys out, you should: http://www.eurorscg.com/
How do you generate a grassroots buzz pray tell?

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:44:36 +0000

I’m back! Been on the road a week and missing my daily blogs. I’m grazing like crazy trying to catch up.
As always, great post Ted. I, too, wonder why we don’t see more effort placed on grassroots marketing. The strategy is a natural, especially in retail. When I mention it to clients, their eyes sometimes glaze over, as if they can’t imagine such a thing.
Well, let’s keep on keepin’ on and working to make grassroots marketing a common feature in our mix.