| Internet-based campaigns were largely responsible for two of the most striking marketing success stories in recent memory: “The Blair Witch Project,” a low-budget horror movie with a lower-budget Website that helped draw in an audience of 75 million in the movie’s opening week; and Hotmail, a Web-based email provider that became the global leader in its category based in large part on the strength of subscriber word of mouth.
A small group of online users deserves a disproportionate share of the credit for such successes, according to research by Burson-Marsteller, a Young & Rubicam Inc. (Y&R) company, conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. The survey discovered that online influencers, or “e-fluentials(R),” influence more people on more topics than do other online individuals—despite the fact that they account for just 8 percent of the Internet population.
• The Power of Eight
E-fluentials wield exponentially greater influence than do their offline counterparts. A classic shampoo commercial from the ‘70s depicted a woman who told two friends about the product. “And they told two friends, and they told two friends...” she related. If that satisfied consumer were one of today’s e-fluentials, she would tell eight friends about the product, and her opinion would spread in multiples of eight rather than two.
Implication: As the online environment increases the power of influentials, the customer-service stakes get higher. More than ever, an effective customer relationship management (CRM) strategy is indispensable.
• Opinion Leaders
E-fluentials are three times as likely as the typical online user to be asked for advice online, and they’re queried on a wide range of subjects. Compared with online users in general, more than twice as many e-fluentials are asked for their opinions on new technologies, business, and jobs or careers. Almost half are consulted about finding the best values on products. They are also perceived as authorities on the world at large: 51 percent of e-fluentials provide others with insight on current events, compared with just 25 percent of general ‘Net users.
Implication: E-fluentials’ guru status among online consumers can be used to advantage. Consider formalizing their role by recruiting them to serve as online experts, individually or on panels.
• More Input, More Output
E-fluentials are active channelers of information. These “sponges” absorb more information than do general Internet users and extract it from a more diverse array of sources. For example, 72 percent have visited company Websites, compared with only 41 percent of the general online population. They are also avid communicators, regularly e-mailing twice as many people as do members of the general online population.
Implication: E-fluentials’ exposure to a wide range of information sources makes them slippery targets for marketers. These sophisticated consumers are less likely than others to regard any single source as authoritative.
• Tech Fans
E-fluentials are frequent and enthusiastic consumers of technology. They use the ‘Net more frequently and for longer periods than do other users: 74 percent go online more than once a day, versus 45 percent of the general online population; 53 percent spend more than two hours a day online, versus 22 percent of the general online population. And when it comes to technology, they are not only early adopters, but also opinion leaders: 61 percent said they often try new products before their friends and neighbors do, while 68 percent said they sometimes influence the types of products their friends buy.
Implication: Their zeal for the new makes e-fluentials an ideal test market for high-tech products. And if their initial experience is positive, their broad influence means they will generate powerful pre-release buzz. | 
