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

One American in ten tells the other nine how to vote, where to eat, and what to buy. They are

The Influentials

Who are they? The most influential Americans — the ones who tell their neighbors what to buy, which politicians to support, and where to vacation — are not necessarily the people you'd expect. They're not America's most affluent 10 percent or best-educated 10 percent. They're not the "early adopters," always the first to try everything from Franco-Polynesian fusion cooking to digital cameras. They are, however, the 10 percent of Americans most engaged in their local communities...and they wield a huge amount of influence within those communities. They're the campaigners for open-space initiatives. They're church vestrymen and friends of the local public library. They're the Influentials...and whether or not they are familiar to you, they're very well known to the researchers at RoperASW. For decades, these researchers have been on a quest for marketing's holy grail: that elusive but supremely powerful channel known as word of mouth. What they've learned is that even more important than the "word" — what is said — is the "mouth" — who says it. They've identified, studied, and analyzed influence in America since the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (now Exxon) hired Elmo Roper himself to develop a model for identifying opinion leaders, and in The Influentials, they are finally ready to share their results. A few samples:

• Influentials have been the "early majority" — leading indicators of what Americans will be buying — for more than five decades, from choosing energy-efficient cars in the 1970s to owning computers in the 1980s to adopting 401(k)s and IRAs in the 1990s to using the Internet and cell phones today.

• Influentials have led the way in social development as well, from the revival of self-reliance (in managing their own health care, investments, and consumption) to mass skepticism about the marketing claims of everything from breakfast food to politicians.

Although America's Influentials have always been powerful, they've never been more important than now. Today, a fragmented market has made it possible for Influentials to opt out of mass-message advertising, which means that a different route must be taken to capture their hearts and minds. The Influentials is a map for that route, a map that explains who these people are, how they exercise influence, and how they can be targeted. The Influentials features a series of rules and guidelines for marketing to Influentials; case studies of products that have prospered because of Influential marketing (and products that have failed because they lacked it); a history of the phenomenon...and why Influentials are more influential today than ever; and profiles of twelve real-life Influentials.

Both an intellectual adventure and a hands-on marketing manual, The Influentials is an extraordinary gold mine of information and analysis that no business can afford to ignore.

Based on six decades worth of research and millions of interviews, "The Influentials" profiles the ten percent of Americans who quietly and profoundly influence decisions about the cars the other nine percent drive, the books they read, and the candidates they support. This book tells companies how to win over these people who will--by word of mouth--become their most important sales tool.

Ed Keller is the CEO of RoperASW. A global marketing research and consulting firm, RoperASW serves many of the world's leading companies in the areas of brand strategy, customer loyalty management, corporate reputation, and communications effectiveness. A nationally recognized expert on marketing and consumer trends, Keller serves on the board of directors of the Advertising Research Foundation and is a member of the Market Research Council.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

1. Who Are the Influentials?

Demographics Are Not Influence · Shared Characteristics and Diversity · The Activists · Profile: Isabel Milano · People Who Are Connected · People with Impact · Profile: Larry Lee · People with Active Minds · A Product That Works: The Cell Phone · Trendsetters · A Product That Can Wait: E-Books · Case Study: The Entrepreneurial Wave · Are Influentials Born or Made?

2. The Influential Personality

A Clear Sense That "This Matters" · Aspirations: The American Dream, the Good Life, and Life's Necessities · Belief in Growth and Change · Profile: Shelley Miller · Balancing Community and Self · Values: Family and Engagement First · Where They Are Satisfied and What They're Working On · Profile: Rick White · Case Study: Green Marketing — the Influential Balance · An Idea That Works: The Integrated Home · Idiosyncrasy

3. The Influence Spiral: How Influentials Get and Spread Ideas

The Spiral of Influence · Profile: Sophie Glovier · The Water Station · Multiple Sources of Information · Nothing Beats Word of Mouth · If You Get It, Share It · Continuous Provement · Case Study: Influential "Inflection Points" and "Plateaus" · Media: In the Beginning Was the Word · But They Use Other Sources, Too · Profile: Teresa Graham · An Idea That Works but Should Work Better: E-Commerce · They Trust Their Instincts

4. The Message of Influentials: The Age of Autonomy and the Rise of Self-Reliance

The Self-Reliance Movement · The New Century: The Changes Come to the Surface · Older, More Educated, and More Adept · The Role of Influentials · Opportunities and Challenges · A Different Kind of Activism · Thinking Out of the Orthodox Box · Profile: Mike Williams · Return to Values · Different Levels of Confidence · "The Best Places to Have Money" · Implications for Government and Institutions · Self-Improvement and Learning · Profile: David Pendergrass · A Time for Building Up

5. The Influential Vision: Seven Trends for the Future

A Window onto the Future · The Legacies Agenda · Profile: Leonard Pitt · Global Connections · High Pace, High Peace · A PC-Centered World · Living Longer Stronger · Profile: Walter Arrowsmith · No Big Brothers · The Limits of Convenience

6. Developing an Influential Strategy: Six Rules for Getting into the Conversation

"Mission Control: We've Got a Problem" · 1. Be Where the Information Is · 2. When Critics Come Knocking, Invite Them In · 3. Get Out into the Community · 4. Make It Easier — Then Make It Easier Still · A Product That Works: Debit Cards · Profile: Tim Draper · 5. Know "The Exceptions" — and Keep Up with Them · 6. Be a Brand, and Tell the World · Profile: Sarah Vokes · The Good News — and Your Challenge

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INDEX