The first SPI (pronounced "spy") Report will be released in January from Innovision, a new consumer and business-insights division of interactive-marketing agency McElroy and digital brand-relationship management company StartSampling. It claims there is a four-step word-of-mouth process that key social influencers follow: awareness, research, personal experience, and recommendation.

According to the report, which the agency hopes to release quarterly, SPIs are individuals at the top of the word-of-mouth pyramid. They are the 10% of the population who influence the social choices of the remaining 90%.

SPIs have universal characteristics and behavioral traits that are identified in three intersecting dimensions: size of social network, persuasive power, and propensity to disseminate product or service information.

The SPI profile does not compete or conflict with other existing definitions of influential consumers. Rather, it builds a high-level construct that effectively captures the coveted 10%, regardless of demographics or category-specific viral activity.

"While there is a lot of good research out there on word-of-mouth marketing, we think the SPI Report is the first research offering to really "peel back the onion for marketers," says Larry Burns, president and CEO of StartSampling.

"Everyone knows that influential consumers are extremely important to WOM marketing," he adds, "but what the SPI Report shows is that they are also extremely reachable."

The SPI Report taps into a panel of more than 2,000 qualified social persuaders and influencers to unearth and analyze the characteristics, attitudes, behaviors and media consumption habits of this influential group.

"One of the key things to remember, if you're a marketer, is that SPIs earn social currency from recommending products," says Dani Mariano, vice president of business insights for McElroy. "But before they endorse a product, they do research to make sure they do not abuse their social capital. These are the consumers who actually read the fine print."

Detailed findings from the January 2007 SPI Report provide a good thumbnail path to follow when trying to reach this critical audience. Below are some key findings.

In the awareness phase, SPIs are:

·61% more likely than total respondents surveyed to learn about products or services through online and offline product reviews

·More than 40% more likely to become aware through shopping Web sites and online portals

In the research phase, SPIs are:

·76% more likely to seek out information from store employees

·65% more likely to read offline reviews

·65% more likely to visit manufacturer or brand Web sites

In the experience phase, SPIs are:

·49% more likely to participate in an in-store training or class

·36% more likely to encounter a product at an event they are attending

·30% more likely to encounter a product in an in-store demo

In the recommendation phase, SPIs are:

·88% more likely to share information at a meeting or social event

·81% more likely to email information to others

·76% more likely to call others with information

Mariano says SPIs are defined through three variables: How many people they have in their social network; how often they disseminate relevant information; and whether they have persuasive power. The last part is particularly crucial, she says.

Credibility is everything, she notes. "Some people talk all the time, but nobody listens to them."

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