While not exactly PR as such, buzz marketing is the term given to a new
trend in word-of-mouth brand communication that emerged in the mid-
2000s in an effort to better reach younger consumers. Companies were
created to actively enlist the help of ‘ ordinary people ’ in talking about
specific brands. One such company in the US (BZZ Agent) recruits people
from the Internet to talk about their client ’ s brands to friends and family.
They are given free samples of the product, along with an outline
of things they might say. For example, 3000 of these ‘ bzzagents ’ may be
given a sample of a new perfume fragrance and asked to wear it, and to
encourage people to talk about it. While they are encouraged to identify
themselves as part of a marketing campaign, the ‘ buzz ’ created nevertheless
has more credibility than traditional advertising because it is coming
from someone who is known.