‘Influentials’ Author Opens Word-of-Mouth Tracking Agency

Ed Keller, author of the popular word-of-mouth marketing book The Influentials, has announced that he is launching a company to shed light on how everyday, in-person interactions shape consumers' buying behavior, AdAge reports. While it's relatively easy to track online conversations - via blogs, chat rooms, message boards, etc. - the majority of brand "conversations" (to the tune of 80 percent, some in the industry believe) take place offline.