• Brandweek, Thursday, March 8, 2007 11:45 AM

The whole theory of influencers is bunk, and most of the time buzz is spread by networks and a "critical mass of easily influenced people" who have been exposed to a single adopting neighbor, says Duncan Watts, a Columbia University sociology professor.

Marketers that want to start buzz, should first focus less on who people influence and more on how people are influenced, Watts says. Identifying easily influenced people--and how they are influenced--raises different questions than looking for influentials. Second, they should think more about networks rather than treating everyone as behaving independently. And third, they should stop believing that buzz can be engineered, and get better at measuring and reacting to buzz that arises naturally.

Dave Balter, founder and CEO of BzzAgent, agrees with Watts. Calling the standard influential model "fool's gold," Balter says reality is much more complex and that everyone can be an influencer at different times.

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