In The New York Times Deal Book Blog on 1/14/08, there's a post that Zagat is trying to sell its travel guide book and website business. They might be disappointed with the price that they fetch since online only travel and restaurant websites seem to be growing rapidly as this article indicates. In contrast, the Zagat website has a relative sparse number of reviews and appears to get relatively little traffic. It seemed like Zagat had a lot of buzz about five years ago before the importance of online reviews soared. The company should have jumped aboard the Internet bandwagon earlier since it had such a prestigious name. The new owner of Zagat will have a lot of catching up to do online.
Recent Posts
- People Buy and Recommend for Emotional Reasons: Dutch Bros. Coffee Example
- Vocus Builds Buzz with Generous Offer & Squelches It With No Trial Opportunity
- LinkedIn and Networking in the Digital Age
- Sharing Controversial Views Alienates Customers and Drives Negative Buzz
- Back to Eden Bakery in Portland Cultivates Organic Word of Mouth
- Moonstruck Chocolatier's Behind-the-Scenes Website Video Demonstrates the Power of Authenticity
- Suffering Haitians Need Your Financial and Blogging Support in this Dire Time
- Why I've Been AWOL and 2010 Business & Blogging Outlook
- Hyundai Canada Leverages Buzz from the "World's Worst Parking Job Ever"
- Business Networking Video Tips
April 2010
« Brilliant Johnnie Moore Podcast on the New Social Media, the Death of Advertising, Bananas, and The Grateful Dead | Main | Heartfelt Referral Rewards Work Wonders »
January 23, 2008
Comments
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been posted. Post another comment
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
Websites
- Galvin Communications
The website for my word of mouth marketing and PR firm. Sign up for The Buzz Bulletin, a free monthly eNewsletter. - WOMMA: Word of Mouth Marketing Association
An outstanding resource for word of mouth marketing information. This respected organization also puts on a variety of well-organized and information-rich events and conferences which are worth attending.
Speaking
- Looking for a Creative Marketing Expert & Dynamic Speaker?
Learn more about my customized keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and half or full day seminars on word of mouth marketing and other topics that galvanize business success.
Books
Al Ries: The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR
Credibility is the crucial ingredient in brand building. This book explains why PR should be used to launch a brand while advertising should be used only once major PR opportunities have been realized.
Malcolm Gladwell: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Why do major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly? Ideas, behaviour, messages, and products often spread like outbreaks of infectious disease. This book will help you understand how social epidemics take off and reach critical mass.
EMANUEL ROSEN: The Anatomy of Buzz : How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing
Rosen pinpoints the products and services that benefit the most from buzz and offers strategies for creating and sustaining effective word-of-marketing campaigns.
Mark Hughes: Buzzmarketing
This book contains some great stories from an experienced buzz marketer that illustrate the importance of finding angles that make you stand apart from the competition. I loved the story of how getting the town of Halfway, Oregon to change its name to Half.com generated a flood of publicity. You'll learn some great practical tips from this book.
Ben McConnell: Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force
An interesting look at how to develop evangelism marketing strategies and programs that will create communities of influencers who will drive sales for your company.
Fred Reichheld: The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth
Too many companies are addicted to bad profits. These corporate steroids boost short-term earnings but burn out employees and alienate customers. Learn why the answer to one simple question can determine your company's future: Would you recommend us to a friend?
Andy Sernovitz: Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking
This is the perfect book for an entrepreneur looking for a "how-to" on word of mouth marketing rather than a theoretical or academic overview. Andy Sernovitz built the Word of Mouth Marketing Association using many of the intriguing word of mouth marketing tactics he describes. His strategies are practical for both small and large businesses as his interesting case studies demonstrate. You may put this book down a few times while reading it so you can start implementing some of its excellent ideas.
T. J. Walker: Media Training A-Z
Walker, an accomplished media trainer, provides great practical insight into maximizing the value of the media spotlight. By following his simple suggestions, you'll go into interviews much more confident and come out of them with much better results for your business.
Chip Heath: Made to Stick
This is the best business book that I've read since The Tipping Point since it provides a new way at looking at how you try to tell people about your products or services. You'll have lots of new ideas for promoting your business when you've finished reading this book. And, you'll discover that the best way to promote yourself doesn't involve spending money on marketing rather its all about learning how to tell your business stories better.
Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz: Go for No!
A great parable about a salesman who learns that every "no" brings him closer to "yes" - an important lesson for anybody who wants to create buzz.
Lots of reviews is not the Zagats business model. They take the millions of reviews they get and condense them in thousands of singular reviews. Also when TimesSelect closed, there was a lot of talk of Zagats online being one of the largest paid subscription websites with Wall Street Journal and Consumer Reports... might want to fact check.
Posted by: Jonah | January 24, 2008 at 07:55 AM
I used to love and rely on Zagat guides before I started using online customer review websites. There are always so many personnel changes at restaurants that service and quality fluctuate quickly. I found Zagat guides to be unreliable reflections of the reviewed establishments. I much prefer to be my own editor of contemporary information than rely on what somebody else decided was worthy of inclusion in a printed guide months or years ago.
On the business side, I know that Zagat was successful with a paid subscription model when it didn't have much competition. But, with so many free customer review websites available, I noticed that they've now opened up there site and many sections are free to use.
Posted by: Patrick Galvin | January 25, 2008 at 09:53 AM