Customer Reviews

The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For one simple, powerful reason THE INFLUENTIALS stands head and shoulders above the field in the marketing trends book sweepstakes. Its insights are based on data, long-term empirical data, judiciously considered. Facts. Numbers. A real departure from most books about the American consumer which base their hypotheses, and thus their recommendations, on anecdotes, renovated B-school doctrine, all plumped up with a few chunks of data culled willy nilly from any variety of sources. (Has anybody else noticed that the same warmed-over statistics show up again and again in the most marketing books? Shall we blame the Internet and Lexis/Nexis searches for this sudden homogeneity?). THE INFLUENTIALS, on the other hand, shares primary research data on the American consumer going back 30 years or more. Berry's and Keller's insights and recommendations are shaped by the evolving opinions of Americans. The horse is before the cart where the horse belongs.

Interspersed with the data and trend analysis, Berry and Keller introduce in mini-bios to actual Influentials. These particularly well-written sections serve to embody the data, (the data sections can get a little overwhelming at times) and show us how an Influential lives, thinks and leads. Most are local community leaders, or have real involvement in their communities, and and as such are the nodes of wide personal networks. They are the people who get things done, the people to whom others look to for advice or counsel. By the way, over the years, about 10% of Americans have ?qualified? by their behavior to be counted as Influentials. The definition of an Influential is based on a question about people's political and other civic behavior that Roper has been asking since the 1920s, and has been updating ever since to reflect changing times.

Now it could be argued that the Roper definition of what constitutes an influential American is antiquated, no longer applicable in the post-modern era. For instance it could be said that the influence of super-empowered individuals (to use Thomas Friedman's term) has been magnified in our hypermediated age to such an extent that "celebrities" now have exponentially more sway over how we choose to think, to live, to dream than any local influential. A good point, but Keller and Berry do not reject the influence of the celebrity and celebrity brand culture. They answer that that Roper Influentials are not only leaders in the sense that others look to them for political or community leadership, but that non-Influentials also look to them for guidance on most consumer goods and entertainment because Influentials also tend to be early adopters of new goods, services and culture. In other words, Influentials serve as an early warning system for those trends that other Americans will get to a six months to a year or so later.

What's really impressive about THE INFLUENTIALS is that Berry and Keller share so much data. That runs counter to another kind of marketing book that readers in this field will recognize -- the marketing books as "teaser." In this type of marketing trends book, the reader is told that the insights offered in the books are based on years of trend data, presumably similar to that found in THE INFLUENTIALS. This type of marketing trends book then indicates that the real information is only available to the clients of the writers. They go on to cite case studies where organizations have used the data to effect stellar marketing programs and boost profit. In other words, now you?ve got to buy their consulting services to get the real information and the real help you need. In THE INFLUENTIALS, it's all there - sometimes actually too much is there - but that's certainly better than books that are empty shells, "door openers" for standard consulting services.

All in all a solid, well-conceived, time-tested and amply proven marketing paradigm. A rare treat.

This is a truly awful book. I was initially excited to hear about this book and bought it the week it was released. But after having spent many painful hours drudging through the 300+ pages of endless tables and graphs, I can safely say that my excitement was displaced by great disappointment.

Problems with this book:
1) The framework is misleading. The "Influentials" are in fact "activists," as they are defined by their propensity to be politically active.

2) The analysis is weak. The authors' ability in data analysis seems to be restricted to reporting percentages. This makes for an extremely dull read consisting of table after table of percentages.

3) The authors have utterly failed to convince me that these people are truly influential. Page 146 basically proves how "uninfluential" this group of people truly is.

4) The insights are thin. Quotes from the book include such penetrating statements as "Based on this Influential trendline, the online audience will likely continue to grow" and "we expect e-commerce to grow" (both quotes on page 166). Well, at least the authors have a firm grasp of the obvious.

5) Aside from being misleading and uninteresting, the material is simply poorly written. I often had the feeling that there was no editor involved in the creation of this book.

Bottom line: don't waste your time with this book. There are simply far too many good alternative choices on the subject.

The Influetials is either just a big statistical blob or I missed something. Keller et al start out by describing the influential as someone who other people in the community kind of look toward. They are very socially connected and respected. There is no doubt in my mind that the proposition that one in ten people has a huge influence on how the other nine think, however instead of exploring the social patterns Keller et al try to define that person whom they call an "Influential" They begin by saying in the first chapter that statistics can't pinpoint an influential and then spend most of the book tossing statistics on influentials at the reader - lots of tables that don't tell me anything.

One thing that I found interesting were the case studies scattered through the book. Basically these were mini-biographies of influentials slanted more towards what they were up to at the moment. Even these weren't all that helpful.

I recommend skipping The Influentials. The title is really good but the book doesn't focus or do much to back it up. Actually things just get muddled. The Tipping Point by Malcome Gladwell has a good bit of discussion about who influences opinions and how. Check that out instead.

I read a fair number of business books in a given year, and The Influentials is perhaps the best Ive read in a very long time. The book is an in-depth examination of that segment of Americans--influentials, early adopters, trend setters, pick your label--marketers drool over. After reading this book, I feel I really have new insights into who these people are, what makes them tick, and what drives their purchasing decisions, among other things.

The book sets itself apart in a number of ways. It is grounded in fact, based largely on findings from real research (the authors work for RoperASW, a large marketing research company), not on some fashionable and disposable management theory. At the same time, it is very well written: clear, jargon-free, practical, and fun to read. Also, throughout the book the authors profile real-life Influentials to illustrate their points, which adds a nice human touch so often missing from business books. The authors really know their stuff and synthesize an amazing amount of information into a cohesive, engaging narrative.

Highly recommended to marketers who want to reach a desirable segment of the public, and to anyone else interested in consumer trends.

There really is good information in this book. And some of the findings are certainly useful for understanding this important segment of the population.

However, the book reads like a 300+ page market research report. You are bombarded with statistic after statistic embedded in what seems to be every other sentence.

If you manage or market consumer products professionally, you will probably find this book useful. If you're reading this for personal interest, be aware that it is a bit tedious to read.

Interesting book. Basic premise is that the folks that spread the word about mass market products are not movie stars or early adopters, but folks who are socially and politically active in their communities. Think den mothers, PTA members, folks in the Lions Club, the local city council etc. The notion connects to the concepts outlined in "Tipping Point" about Connectors, Mavens and Salespeople, although the framing is different and in this case Influentials appear to be part Connector, part Maven and part Salespeople.

In any case, it's a valuable insight which is probably relevant across cultures and countries. You don't need to read the whole book but it's worth reading a few chapters.

The Roper organization has long been known for the quality and reliability of its data. Now it has given us a remarkable distillation of information in order to show how a select group of people carry more weight in the decision-making processes of the rest of us.

In "The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat and What to Buy," Jon Berry and Ed Keller of Roper ASW tell us how certain people stay ahead of the curve and, essentially, create and maintain that most precious of marketing commodities: "word of mouth."

Of course, the real trick is discover how channels of influence weave their way through the popular culture and subtly induce us to buy. The "Influentials" among us have mastered this because, according to Berry and Keller, they are more likely to accept new ideas, to ask questions, and to listen carefully. With its fact-based approach, "The Influentials" brings us into the lives of people whose habits, desires and innate characteristics enable them to create the "buzz" that will lead to product success.

The book is extremely well documented, with lots of charts and graphs that go back through 30 years or Roper research. As a marketing professional, I was impressed with their arguments and their proven methods. Great book. I say, go for it !.

The Influentials is a refreshing and insightful look at one of America's most important power bases (not the ones you may think of first)...and a group that directs U.S. opinions and action. The Influentials is a well written account of demographic patterns and socio/political trends. The effective use of interesting and persuasive statistics adds value to the narrative explanations rather than detract, always a welcome change. The authors' coverage includes logical and extensive reviews of who are the Influentials, how they develop those positions, and where the Influentials intersect society and markets.

The book's use of a "Profiles in Influence" side bar component makes strong connections to their material and the readers own intuitive beliefs about power and influence by profiling actual Influentials...those that live among us. I found the material in the book a powerful perspective as I also was moving through similar marketing influence material in Lancaster/Stillman's "When Generations Collide", Paco Underhill's "Why We Buy", and "Changing U.S. Demographics" edited by Norris Smith.

Excellent reading that is supported by years of research. The Tipping Point and the Anatomy of Buzz are great reads but this book takes the subject to the next level. Building on the theory that buzz and tipping points are vital to the success of business, political campaigns etc, The Influentials shows who the "influentials" really are and how they can be reached. The influentials are the individuals who will determine the eventual success or failure of many goods and services. You may be surprised who they are!

For quite some time, we focused on guerilla marketing to create added "buzz" to our series of messages. But after reading "The Influentials," I've started thinking of ways to create the same impact in a much more cost-effective and authoritative manner. Harnessing the power of a community's thought leaders and grassroots activists wasn't on our game plan at all, until reading through the book. It makes perfect sense now. Everyone gives validity to the power of networking, but you don't always think to expand upon your own network to those connections of a desired community's unofficial leader ... now I am.