Comments on: v4 principle

By: Value is the New Black, part deux « 9 INCH MARKETING

Value is the New Black, part deux « 9 INCH MARKETING — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:47:45 +0000

[...] “Because I said so” is over: Brand values can be established as a brand identity, but they must believably exist in the mind of the consumer. A brand can’t just say it stands for something and make it so. The consumer will decide, making it more important than ever for a brand to have measures of authenticity that will aid in brand differentiation and consumer engagement. [The age of 'tell and sell' has past. We live in low trust world where actions shout louder than words. Are your customers giving you a V4?] [...]

By: The Longest and Hardest. . .The middle 3″ (2 of 4) «

The Longest and Hardest. . .The middle 3″ (2 of 4) « — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:53:11 +0000

[...] PR efforts via traditional broadcast media (print, TV and online) promotes interest through the V4 or ‘vouch for’ principle. V4 means third party authentication. The consumer will put a greater emphasis on an article or [...]

By: 9 INCH MARKETING

9 INCH MARKETING — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:19:03 +0000

This is a hilarious post from 2001 on Sportsbike.net (forums.sportbikes.net/archives/forums/printthread.php?t=8996) from a guy named Streetracer. Enjoy:

Think about your entire history of relationships… Every person you dated long term, short term, prison term, and every random hook-up in between. The vast majority of those relationships were with someone you met through a common friend. Very rarely do you find a couple who met randomly at a bar. Most couples met through a friend, a friend of a friend, or a relative. The reason most relationships begin this way is what I call the “V4 Principle.”

“V4″ is short for “Vouch For” and it is this reason that the majority of people in America get laid. Say you’re out on a Friday night and you see a cute brunette at the bar. You approach her, make small talk, and attempt to pick her up. To you she’s a hottie with dating potential. To her you’re just another one of the drunken masses out there trying to score some ass. Now take the same situation as before, but when you see her at the bar she is talking to your best friend’s girlfriend. Now when you approach you’re SOMEBODY as opposed to the NOBODY you were before. The girl at the bar has a reference point for you and your best friend’s girlfriend is there to vouch for you: “Oh, that’s Fred. He’s Mike’s best friend. They work together at the law firm. He’s a real sweetie, and he’s sooo cute when he’s drunk.” See how it works? You’re the same drunken ass either way, but now you’re perceived as charming. So, if friends are largely responsible for our hook-ups, how does one improve his odds? Simple, just use this handy dandy friendship reference guide that follows to determine who you should hang out with more and which friends to discard:

1.) Married Friends – Don’t have any. They only hang out with their miserably married couples and they constantly attempt to pull the rest of us into their pit of despair. There is no ass for you here.

2.) Friends Who Work In The Service Industry – Hold on to these. People who work in restaurants, bars, retail, and the like tend to have a plethora of same aged single people to kick it with. They are laid back and don’t work until noon, so they’re always up for a night out. Also, all hostesses are easy.

3.) Friends Who Do A Lot of Drugs -Keepers. Whether you do drugs or not is irrelevant. People who do a lot of drugs tend to hang out with other people who do a lot of drugs… and, chicks who do a lot of drugs tend to be easy.

4.) Religious Friends – No! No! No! All of their friends are usually bible-thumpers as well, and meeting a group of hot Baptists is like going to your favorite bar without any money. You can look all you want, but you can’t have anything.

5.) Strippers – If you have any friends who are strippers you can contact me. Please let me know where you’ll be this weekend…

By: These truths are self evident «

These truths are self evident « — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:46:36 +0000

[...] 7.V4 PRINCIPLE | ‘Word of mouth is one of the oldest and most effective forms of promotion’ (WOM and its exponential power) [...]

By: 9inchmarketing

9inchmarketing — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:00:27 +0000

Here is the lowdown: Tipping Point came out in 2000 and Influentials in 2003. Both are proponents of the ‘Law of the Few’, the idea that a few people has a disproportionate effect on the majority. Gladwell’s talks about different types of people such as mavens, connectors and salesman who all have different roles in spreading a trend like a virus. Influentials relies more on the idea of the 10% of folks who are heavily entrenched in the community.
Both theories date back to the sixties and the famous Stanley Milgram experiment that coined the phrase ‘six degrees of separation’.
If you are interested in the debate of exactly how influential ‘influentials’ really are, then google Duncan Watts. Duncan subscribes that the ‘law of the few’ is a bunch of garbage. He’s done a ton of research to prove his theory that the average Joe plays a big role in spreading a trend or idea.

By: Rob Gallo

Rob Gallo — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:48:33 +0000

The Influentials sounds an awful like the first chapter of the Tipping Point. How do they compare or was Gladwell relying in part on the Influentials for the stuff he wrote for Tipping Point.