Mavens are detail-oriented. They’re the ones who love to share the knowledge they have gathered from all their research and product comparisons. Gladwell says that Mavens are often the first to pick up on new trends because of their intense gathering of impressions. They are not, however, trendsetters in themselves; they need the Connectors to take the information and "infect" the rest of society with it. Alternative marketing needs the Mavens, though. Who else can provide the details of the new product, and share them when asked to do so?

Notice that Connectors and Mavens are rarely, if ever, the same people. If they were, they would not be so effective. We don’t view the detail-oriented data collectors of the world as cool and hip. We can get information from them when we want it, but they don’t inspire us to want the information they have. It’s the Connectors who are trendsetters, and it’s the Connectors who make us want the information the Mavens have in such great supply. Here’s how it works: you see a cool-looking guy coming out of a Vespa Boutique on his new scooter, and you think, Hey, that could be me! You see a hip-looking girl talking on her iPhone, and you think, Yes! I could use one of those! So you look for a Maven, and find out all about your new object of lust; and if you happen to meet a Salesman, in the meantime, so much the better, because he’ll convince you that you shouldn’t have to live another minute without your iPhone or your Vespa.

Why Is Word-of-Mouth So Effective?

In today’s world of advertising, as in so many other areas, we are flooded with seemingly limitless choices, all competing for our observation and our business. It’s small wonder that the ordinary consumer just shuts down. This endless intricacy may be the reason for the popularity of the digital video recorder (DVR), which makes it unnecessary for us to deal with traditional television advertising.

A first response to intricacy and complexity in our environment may be frustration and confusion. We try to clarify the issues by seeking more facts, but that just adds to our information overload. We are overwhelmed. We find ourselves seeking isolation within the confusing crowding of the marketplace, and we turn to family and friends, people whom we know personally. We can handle this smaller group, where the number of possible options is not so overwhelming. We thus limit ourselves to learning about products known to people in our personal network, our trusted few informants. And eventually, we become immune to the influence of the media. We respond only to known influentials.

This is why word-of-mouth advertising works so well. Blogging and e-mail both fit right into the picture, too. If someone in your e-mail Address Book tells you about a product or a service that’s really great, you will be inclined to look it up, or at least to remember it when you need that sort of service or product. If a blogger whose blog you enjoy, trust, and maybe even comment upon once in a while recommends something, you’ll think more favorably about it. These people are now "known influentials."

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