Philadelphia Inquirer: Crafting a Buzz by Word of Mouth

If ever marketing were important to a particular product, vodka would certainly qualify. Basically normal vodka has no taste, so marketers must rely on gaining awareness and cool factor by marketing to trend-setting influencers. Using viral marketing firm SoulKool, Türi vodka has done just that. SoulKool hooked up with Philadelphia club owner Tommy Upgrove who invited "influencials" to his 32 Degree nightclub to sample Türi. Upgrove then took the sampling event to his other clubs in the area, personally pouring the product for patrons.

Viral marketing, a new name for good old word of mouth advertising, is fast becoming a very popular tactic, often by unleashing funny or daring branded content onto the Internet. So popular, in fact, that it is becoming difficult to tell when something is being sold. Is the person recommending that new CD really just doing it because he listened to it and liked it, or is he working for a record label? That's where the danger lies. Marketers must be very careful with consumers' trust. Manipulate it too much, and a marketer will lose market share faster than Napster will go out of business again this year.