Winning Mark

An interesting blog post about the idea of “influencers” and “fans” offers insight into political communications strategies, particularly as more campaigns utilize social media tools. Malcolm Gladwell gained a following for his studies on influencers, the most influential people in a group who can spread a product (or a political message); Duncan Watts, however, argues that the idea of the influencer is completely subjective, and an idea can spread as quickly (if not faster) by targeting a random sample of consumers. These consumers can then be groomed into fans, who are far more trackable and valuable. This has become especially true with the popularity of social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter. If everyone can easily communicate with each other, is there any need (or even possibility) for a select group to be influencing trends?

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Posted by Claire Stein-Ross on August 14, 2009 in Featured, Home Page, Social Media