In addition, it’s the secret behind the incredibly successful television shopping networks, where you can buy anything from diamonds to diapers to designer clothing to gourmet doughnuts. Prices are sometimes unbelievably low, and quality is high, because by now the network has literally millions of shoppers who watch the shows and – wait for it, here it comes – consider the informal and attractive hosts to be friends. So everybody’s happy: the shopper is happy, because she saw this pair of shoes on her friend, took the friend’s recommendation, and got great shoes at an excellent price. The TV host is happy, because she’s an extravert who loves being in front of the camera and talking with shoppers on the phone, and taking home a great salary, too. The shopping network managers are very happy, because more and more people are becoming regular shoppers. These networks have gone well beyond the traditional television informational advisory and into the realm of alternative advertising.

They have learned to put marketing on the basis of word-of-mouth, in the context of a network of personal connections – even if those personal connections are only personal in the eyes of the shopper. It’s a great example of the alternative marketing strategy we now call "buzz."

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