The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)

by Edward B. Keller (Author), Jon Berry (Author), Ed Keller (Author), Jonathan L. Berry (Author) "ABOUT 25 MINUTES north of New York City, Irvington, New York is the kind of town time forgot that is often idealized these days as..." (more)
Key Phrases: total public, definite responsibility, percentage point difference, Source Roper Reports, Isabel Milano, Sophie Glovier (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
There's a group of people, Keller and Berry posit, who are responsible for driving trends, influencing mass opinion and, most importantly, selling a great many products. These are the Influentials, the early adopters who had a digital camera before everyone else and who were the first to fly again after September 11. Like Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point), these authors are keen to point out a common phenomenon and spin it for the edification of marketing executives. Their assertion is that 10% of Americans determine how the rest consume and live by chatting about their likes and dislikes. Keller and Berry spend most of the book bolstering their theory with extensive findings from Roper polls (both authors work for Roper). Following this is a suggested plan of action for capturing Influentials' interest, with suggestions on how to target them, how to sell and even how to treat them in a customer service setting. Being an Influential today is similar to being a Vanderbilt in a bygone era: "[T]he company should invite them in and engage them in a conversation... and keep tabs on them in the weeks that follow." Because its points are so concrete and straightforward, the book should have little trouble finding adherents who want to woo such a powerful consumer base. Keller and Berry's theories are compelling and exceedingly well researched, and should be a boon to anyone looking to promote the next big thing.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Veterans of RoperASW, Keller and Berry based their first book on decades of research through the Roper Polls. Their findings suggest that one in ten people affects the way everyone else thinks via word of mouth. Presenting profiles of 12 such "Influentials" along with results of the polls, the authors argue that the most influential people in America are often everyday people, folks in one's own neighborhood who are active in civics, charities, and religious institutions. The premise is that marketers who understand these dynamics can focus their resources on these individuals in order to influence everyone else. Though the authors support their arguments with an impressive array of statistics, provided in minute detail to substantiate the premise, a much more lively discussion of a similar theme can be found in Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. Clearly targeted toward practicing marketing professionals and business executives, this book is appropriate for libraries with specialized collections, such as those in business schools and advertising/PR agencies.
Stephen Turner, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• ISBN-10: 0743227298
• ASIN: B0000T70H2
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,387,500 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars enough already, i get it..., January 26, 2004

By A Customer

"the influentials" could have been a wonderful overview of this very intriguing group of americans. however, in the hands of market researchers, this book is about 15 pages of overview and snapshots of some influentials, followed by 300 pages of charts and corresponding text that re-hashes the charts in sentence form (here's an example, albeit NOT from the book...i'm making this up, but it's on par with what's in the book: "...47% of Influentials recycle plastic. that's 14% higher than the entire population, 12% higher than college-educated Americans, and 5% higher than those in households that make over $75,000/year. Influentials recycle paper at an even higher rate - almost 56%. That compares to 31% for the entire populations..."). i mean, i get it already. essentially, there are about 20 bullet points that define an influential, and there isn't a whole lot more to say after that. the book has little profiles on about 5 or 6 influentials, but could have benefitted from many more of those. disappointing.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Insight, May 6, 2003

By	Panopticonman "panopticonman" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy (Hardcover)

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.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Statistics of the politically and socially active, October 28, 2003

By	Peter Hupalo (MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy (Hardcover)

I agree with the other reviewer that the "influential" 10% selected for this book consists of people who are socially and/or politically active. That's how they were chosen. In my view, it wasn't really shown that this 10% of the population strongly influences the other 90%. Many statistics of this active 10% are given.

Influentials do tend to talk a lot.

Keller and Berry write "Influentials seem to have an aversion to keep things to themselves. ... They believe it's important to give others information that could help them." (p. 148).

So, what do we learn about Influentials?

* They are two times more likely to buy online than the average consumer. They like the convenience.

* They like to travel and tend to like to cook.

* They tend to be "tactical consumers," who shop around to get the best deal.

* Influentials tend to be interested in news, politics, the environment, health, technology, and science. They focus upon important "substantive, meaty areas."

* Influentials aren't particularly interested in celebrities, sports, fashion or TV culture. (They don't mind public television, because it's educational.)

* They value learning and tend to have active minds.

* They're not into bowling or extreme sports.

* Influentials feel they can control their destiny.

* 3 to 1, they would prefer to be entrepreneurs to top executives at big companies.

* They don't want to be extremely rich (not more so than non-influentials anyway). But, they want financial security.

* Influentials were early adopters of IRA's, 401(k), cell phones, and the Internet.

* Influentials read a lot, especially magazines and newspapers.

So, for marketers looking for information about the politically/socially active 10% of the population, this book provides many insights. Plus, I think it's interesting reading. However, for marketers looking for specific ways to reach this audience, "The Influentials" seems to offer only a few broad marketing ideas. For example, Keller and Berry write: "If there's a secret to advertising to Influentials, it is to be creative and informative."

And, the authors say companies must provide useful information. Keller and Berry write: "Succeeding with Influentials begins with information. A salient, meaningful piece of information is at the very least a conversation starter."

Another idea offered is sponsoring a community event or worthy cause. However, the authors point out that Influentials tend to be skeptical of advertising and messages can't just flow down from a company to Influentials. Influentials won't just blindly accept them. Influentials will listen to those they know, incorporating their experiences and their own personal experiences to determine the quality or usefulness of a product.

Influentials tend to be good listeners and get feedback from others. Partially, it's their wide experience though personal feedback that makes them a valuable source of information to others.

The book points out that Influentials represent an early majority of the market. Whether small cars, back to big SUV's, computers, cell phones, digital cameras, debit cards, or online computer access, Influentials tend to be early adopters of products that subsequently become popular with the general populace.

Keller and Berry tell us Influentials don't just adopt any product. They tend to adopt utilitarian products that really add to their lives. But, that seems to reduce marketing to the old maxim, "Build a better mouse trap and they will come," which many marketers don't accept.

So, overall, I think "The Influentials" is interesting reading, but I don't know that readers will find it full of useful marketing ideas.