BOOK REPORT: BUZZKMARKETING by Mark Hughes

Author: Mark Hughes is simply a Buzzmarketing master. He gets it. Throughout the book, Hughes is generating different types of "buzz" around products that get people talking. Whether it is revolutionizing advertisements on urinals in the bathroom, putting ads on fortune cookie papers, or renaming Halfway, Oregon to "Half.com, Oregon" he is always one step ahead of the marketing world. This credibility made buying into this philosophy easier, because his use of "buzzmarketing" has proven to be incredibly successful. Before I go too far into why he is so good at what he does, it might be beneficial for you to understand what Buzzmarketing really means. Then you can see for yourself.

The definition of Buzzmarketing: Buzzmarketing captures the attention of consumers and the media to the point where talking about your brand or company becomes entertaining, fascinating, and newsworthy. To put it simply, Buzz starts conversations.

*Hughes adds that this contrasts with the traditional marketing methods, in which the corporate marketer simply sends out messages to the target audience.

The Six Buttons of Buzz: Hughes explains that generating buzz is all about creating "a story." Throughout the book he references the classic Bonnie Raitt song "Let's give 'em something to talk about." Here's a list of 6 ways to do it:

-The Taboo (sex, lies, bathroom humor)

-The Unusual

-The Outrageous

-The Hilarious

-The Remarkable

-The Secrets

He gives great examples for each one of these, and to get the conversation about your brand started. But this is just the first piece to the Buzzmarketing puzzle.

There are 6 in all:

1)Push the Six Buttons of Buzz (as listed above)

2) Capture Media

3) Advertise For Attention

4) Climb Buzz Everest (big risk/big reward)

5) Discover Creativity

6) Police Your Product

These all basically go into what you could infer based on their titles. They all use incredible examples, from the story of how child pop singer Britney Spears was marketed from Day 1 to how Rit Dye was reborn into the making of Tie-Dye. All of the examples he uses throughout the book prove that the advice he is giving to his readers is accurate. He bases all of his revolutionary ideas on the past. I can talk about this book all day, but I recommend you pick it up for yourself to find what you find to be the most valuable.

To me, I found almost all of these sections to be very useful, but I found the 6 Buttons of Buzz, Capture Media, and Police Your Product sections to be exceptional. They really opened my mind to a variety of strategies to make a product gain attention, and a number of important processes that will make sure this attention is warranted. I liked how Hughes dove into a range of topics about a seemingly narrow marketing tactic.

Because this is the kind of book is EXACTLY what I like to do, I finished it in a day (and anyone can tell you, I have no patience for reading). I have always felt that the impact of big, buzzworthy marketing moves have way more of an impact than any traditional advertisements I see elsewhere. And as a college student, the fact that "buzz" can literally be free of charge is a huge advantage. His philosophy of strong marketing being based on "out-thinking" competitors, rather than "outspending" them is basically my only option for my entrepreneurial endeavors at this point, so I latched on to this book and learned a ton.

I highly recommend you get this book asap!