Research Note: Generating Social Buzz for Media Brands: Conceptualizing Social Network Word of Mouth

Marketing managers of traditional media brands are facing a challenging communication reality today. Reaching magazine brand users has become more complex since the number of communication platforms and channels is ever-rising. In this environment one of the oldest communication techniques, word of mouth (WOM), has been revived and is leading media brands to highly benefit from the concept of amplified WOM, also known as buzz marketing. The opportunities of buzz marketing extended with the increasing dissemination of social network sites (SNS). This study examines how media managers can use SNS, in particular Facebook fanpages, to generate positive WOM about traditional media brands. Using the example of four magazine brands in the German market the author explores the value of buzz marketing and brand fans for media brand communication and sheds light on the main drivers generating online and offline WOM.