A Unique Way to Get the WOM Manual Volume II

Dave Balter and I serve on the board of WOMMA. He runs a company called BzzAgent which you have probably heard of if you are in the marketing business (or if you are a BzzAgent). We actually have a partnership with BzzAgent because we believe in the value of their business for our clients and have run several very successful agent-based word of mouth campaigns.

But back to Dave. Before I knew him, I read his first book, Grapevine: The New Art of Word of Mouth Marketing. And while I knew he was using the book to make a case for his company, it was a really smart assessment of the power of WOM and his experiences making BzzAgent work. It remains a solid business book.

Dave has a new book - The Word of Mouth Manual Volume II. I read it this weekend in my backyard. And I can heartily endorse it. I will tell you why in a second so you can be your own judge.

But before I do, I want to give you the opportunity to download the pdf of the entire book for free by CLICKING HERE.

Of course you can buy the self-published book via Amazon where for $45 you will also get a signed piece of artwork. While I enjoy Seth B. Minkin's illustration (awesome Monkey!), I am more interested in more people reading the book. Here's why:

1. Dave is a practitioner, not a pundit. He speaks from deploying WOM programs via BzzAgent and examining programs from our WOM colleagues around the world. He offers insight from his professional experience ( while also being a human being about it thus the references to Weezer and "the Dude")

2. He offers practical knowledge like why post-purchase is the best time to share and that the third-person stories following a product experience become essential first-person narratives (Chapter 4).

3. He acknowledges the importance of measurement and offers a model. His first few paragraphs in Chapter 5 were channeling the exact points I have been making with clients throughout the year: study after study proves the overall strength of WOM, Brand marketers need a way to valuate it and compare to other marketing choices, and that we in the WOM business are being held to a higher standard of measurment than our advertising brothers and sisters. He goes on to propose a model which I plan to challenge in a later post but it is well worth our consideration. 

4. The book starts with recent insights and then goes back to cover some basics. This makes it instantly relevant to experienced WOM practitioners and those just starting their exploration of WOM.

5. There are lots of real world examples and not just the big guys - iPhone and TIVO. Brands like American Express and Lacoste and a myriad of pop culture examples abound to make relevant points.

6. Yes, the book supports the choices Dave has made with his business, BzzAgent, but what I like about his accounts is they remain relevant to much of the larger arena of WOM. 

7. We will recommend this book to all of our colleagues within Ogilvy and we don't take the use of their time lightly.

Pass it along.

Comments

[Jim Canterucci]

I'm a big fan of Dave Balter and BzzAgent. It's a Brilliant idea, well executed. In fact Dave is our podcast guest this month on Personal Brilliance - Up Close and Practical. A new episode each week this month. Catch up by clicking here.

[andrew foote]

Awesome, thanks for the link. I snagged a copy of Grapevine at a WOMMA event a few years ago. I read it immediately and passed it along to several colleagues in true WOM fashion. Looking forward to digging into the manual!

[laura ettema]

I'm a BzzAgent and loved you description of the book! Thanks for the free download! bzzagent: kgteacher

[laura ettema]

just tried to download and print the free version, and it's printing in some sort of foreign language! Sorry, I'll go somewhere else!
bzzAgent: kgteacher

[Catherine Joyce]

I have be a BzzAgent for 3 years and this is a great book. Your description/review does Dave Balter justice....Thanks!!!

[Karen H. (cjsmom)]

I am a volunteer BzzAgent. Most BzzAgent's are completely transparent and we are proud of it! I loved the manual. I wouldn't have purchased it but I loved every word. Anything that people talk about is considered word of mouth, whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. The world would be a totally different place without Word of Mouth.