The 1st "B" of Marketing

The 4 Ps of Marketing now have a companion - B for Blogs - the next big thing for Marketers worldwide.

Blogs [Web Logs] as per their original definition and intent are simply rants and raves of regular people, published online at the click of a button.

For Bloggers there are no censors, no major payments, and no hassles to deal with. All you need is access to the internet!

Blogs are flooding the internet at the rate of approximately 80,000 new Blogs being added every day, with about 1.3 million new posts being published in the same period worldwide.

Estimates suggest that US workforce alone will spend the equivalent of 551,000 man years readiBlogsogs in the year 2005 [hours a day multiplied by number of readers].

In the sub continent, conservative estimates put the number of Indian Bloggers to be approximately 100,000 with students and under 30s contributing a large part to this number.

For Marketers worldwide, Blogs are a great place to absorb consumer mood and opinion, a great medium to advertise, and are also a great way to make public your own [brand or company] opinion in a very informal, interactive manner.

The key thing to remember here is that the popularity or power of Bloggers depends on the reputation of Blogger or the credibility and likeability the man or woman who publishes BlogBlog.

Good Bloggers become mini celebrities in their own right, with loyal readers or other Bloggers who form a virtual group of their own - complimenting or cursing everything from products, services, schools of thought, systems, societies, governments, people, celebrities - you name it, they have an opinion on it.

The public opinion generated by Bloggers has influenced companies to recall products, governments to change laws, even get top executives to quit their jobs!

So if you are a marketer always saying consumer is king, log into the Blogosphere. You'll be surprised what consumers think of you, your product category, and life in general. Also get professional help, and if you like publish your own Blog! You will be amazed with what it can do for you!

Some Blogs I like [To find out why they're great marketing opportunities, write to me]:

AdRants
Vespaway
Cre8ive Ignition
PostSecret
Small Agency Diary