For a big brand what does "buzz" get you?

Big brands don't need "buzz" from their marketing; they need revenue.

This promotion by World Wrestling Entertainment (press release below) is very clever, but what did it really accomplish? Where are the results? How many new paid subscriptions or event tickets did they sell?

We agree that it is important to be concious about brand building and image, but a big brand like WWE has enough buzz. We like to see WOM promotions (even better central WOM strategies), which deliver specific business metrics - the only way to judge success.

You would never present your marketing plan to your CEO by saying that we are going to grow sales by creating "buzz". As you enter planning season consider integrating a comprehensive WOM program within your overall marketing strategy, which focuses on the key value drivers within your business. It should be very well received. - JR



WWE(R) Names Its 'Biggest Fan' Through Successful Viral Video ContestWednesday August 29, 4:46 pm ET

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World Wrestling Entertainment® and Ziddio's "Are You WWE's Biggest Fan?" contest culminated on Friday evening in New York City, as lifelong WWE fanatic Mike Timpson of Los Angeles, Calif., beat out thousands of other contestants on his way to being crowned WWE's "Biggest Fan."

This summer, "Are You WWE's Biggest Fan?" -- a contest hosted by WWE and Comcast's user-generated site, Ziddio -- asked WWE fans around the country to submit videos to http://www.ziddio.com/, showcasing why they believe they are WWE's 'Biggest Fan.' Fans turned out in full force to display their passion for the WWE brand, making "Biggest Fan" one of Ziddio's more popular contests to date.

To celebrate the crowning of WWE's Biggest Fan, WWE 24/7 and its affiliate partners will be giving away a free month of the subscription video on demand service in September to new subscribers as the service showcases the video created by Timpson as well as the videos from the other contest finalists.

"We were truly impressed with the passion of the WWE fans and their excitement shown through their videos and the sheer number of entries in the contest," said Elizabeth Schimel, Senior Vice President, Entertainment, Comcast Interactive Media. "This was one of the most successful promotions we have done to date."

The video contest culminated during SummerSlam® weekend at a special red carpet event in New York City's Times Square. Fifteen contest finalists from around the country were flown in by WWE to have their videos voted on by a special panel of WWE Superstar judges, including Stone Cold Steve Austin®, John Cena®, and Batista(TM). Three thousand fans traveled to Times Square to be a part of the event, with more than 1,000 of them packing into the Spotlight Live venue.

The excitement was palpable as the judges conferred, eventually crowning lifelong fanatic Timpson as "WWE's Biggest Fan." Timpson's video creatively and comically showcased the effect to which 30 years of WWE entertainment has influenced him at home, at work and throughout his daily life. As grand prize winner, Timpson took home $25,000 and a specially-made WWE Biggest Fan Championship belt. All of the finalists were on hand at Continental Airlines Arena Sunday night for SummerSlam.

The contest buzz spread across the internet with contestants creating campaigns on MySpace and Facebook to encourage their friends, family and supporters to endorse their videos on Ziddio.com in their quest to be crowned the WWE biggest fan. Locally, fan videos entries were promoted on local TV news, radio and daily newspapers that produced feature pieces on their hometown viral video stars.

"These user-generated videos were the kind that marketers dream about - unique content that brings out the essence of a brand and generates buzz, which this certainly did for Ziddio and WWE," said Peter Clifford, WWE Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales and Marketing. "We never cease to be amazed at the loyalty for the WWE brand displayed by our fans, and this contest format truly brought this to life in a compelling way."

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