"For marketing, some people matter more than others."

This is the thesis of the popular book, “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. But is it true?

One network-theory scientist from Columbia U thinks not. Interviewed in the Fast Company, Duncan Watts says:

“In modern marketing, this idea–that a tiny cadre of connected people triggers trends–is enormously seductive. It is the very premise of viral and word-of-mouth campaigns: Reach those rare, all-powerful folks, and you’ll reach everyone else through them, basically for free.” See here.

He adds:

“According to MarketingVOX, an online marketing news journal, more than $1 billion is spent a year on word-of-mouth campaigns targeting Influentials, an amount growing at 36% a year, faster than any other part of marketing and advertising. That’s on top of billions more in PR and ads leveled at the cognoscenti.”

“Is all that money and effort is being wasted?”

Maybe yes, says scientist Duncan Watts, who recently took a sabbatical from Columbia University and is now working for Yahoo. He’s performed a series of controversial, barn-burning experiments challenging the whole Influentials thesis.

“Any attempt to engineer success through Influentials, is almost certainly doomed to failure. A rare bunch of cool people just don’t have that power. And when you test the way marketers say the world works, it falls apart. There’s no there there.”

This could be fun. Mr. Watts has developed

“a new technique for propagating ads virally, which can double or even quadruple the reach of an ordinary online campaign by harnessing the pass-around power of everyday people–and ignoring Influentials altogether.”

See the entire piece here.

So don’t sit down and cry if you don’t know anybody “goooood.” – i.e. an influential. Marketing to the everyday genuine and authentic folks, the masses, of whom I am one, is probably a good thing. Their word of mouth seems to be as effective overall as that of a few influentials over the long haul. I plan to keep right on doing it.

P.S. One immediate application: stop wasting time going after “big hitters” in NM. In our new little venture, we’re doing exactly the opposite – just looking for some everyday people. Because we want real, genuine people. Not glib, fast talking ones who are in it for the money. One old school premise is still true today: It’s a lot of people doing a little that makes a direct sales company successful.