Case study detailing Affinitive's work on Random Buzzers, a teen reader-focused Word-of-Mouth (WOM) marketing program for Random House's Teen Books division.

1. (an case study)

3. 30 – 45 books published each year, targeting readers age 13-20

5. Fighting for audience with other publishers’ teen book divisions as well as 3rd party niche communities

6. Finding ways to consistently provide engagement and fresh content to consumers who are fickle and difficult to engage

8. Empower and educate these readers with tools, information and incentives to facilitate word-of-mouth endorsement and advocacy for titles

9. Provide an innovative method to connect authors (many of which are unknown/first-time) with a highly-targeted group of teen readers

10. Gain insight into the demographics' behavior, likes, and cultural trends

13. User-Generated Content activities

14. Contests, weekly book giveaways, and exclusive members-only opportunities

15. Member “bookshelves”, book reviews, and reader/author profiles

16. "Buzz Blog" with news and happenings

18. Education

19. Community

22. Socializing the Reading Experience Book/Author-specific Forums Member “Bookshelves” Reviews and Ratings Reader Groups

23. Activities and Rewards Buzz Bucks Members earn social currency called “Buzz Bucks” for participating and engaging within the community. “Buzz Bucks” can be redeemed for rewards such as books and merchandise. Additionally, a user level system and badges are used to provide different level of status/achievement among members. Activities Activities are fun, challenging, creative tasks that members participate in, such as creating artwork, writing, and uploading photos showing off their passion and personal interests. Galleries collect and show off member submissions, which are commented on and rated by others. The best submissions are given additional prominence.

24. Teacher Feedback “My students just read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and I have asked them to join the forum and post their own questions. I just wanted to say thank you! I have been reading their posts, and I am impressed with the quality of the discussions they are having. During class, a few students will run the discussion, but this forum creates the safety and anonymity for all of them to participate. They absolutely loved The Book Thief too! Please don't make this into a movie!! This novel is an English teacher's dream!” - Kerri M., English Teacher

25. Showing Passion Via User-Generated Content

26. Buzz Bloggers “Buzz Bloggers” are a network of influential young adult bloggers who have indicated interest in reviewing books published by Random House. Each month, select bloggers are sent advanced copies of a book to read and review on their blogs. To date, the Buzz Bloggers have published 200+ reviews and opinions on blogs generating millions of impressions.

27. Taking the Experience Mobile The Random Buzzers iPhone app lets members take the entire Random buzzers experience mobile. The experience has been tailored to provide quick access to popular features such as forums, book reviews, member bookshelves, along with integrated sharing tools and push notifications. * Coming soon to Android and Blackberry!

29. Members report on any conversations they had that month, how many people were involved in those conversations, where they took place and what was discussed

30. Overall offline word of mouth reach is then calculated, along with where these conversations are happening (school, work, friend's house) and the most popular topics of conversation.In the past year, Random Buzzers members have reached more than 90,000 people through offline word of mouth.

31. Anecdotal WOM “I told several friends about this site, and we started a book club to read Random Buzzer books! It's so much fun!” “I very much loved Tamora Pierce’s Beka Cooper series. I won the book... and have passed it around to many of my friends so they now love Pierce's novels too.” “When I saw someone reading Boy Meets Boy by David LevithanI brought up his new book and asked if they had read it.” “When I came into school dressed like one of the characters from a Random Buzzers book for Halloween one year, and everybody asked who I was.” “I got a freshman on my soccer team to read Forest of Hands and Teeth. I was very proud of this because she isn't a reader but she really liked that book.”

32. Key Metrics And Results 88% Indicated Random Buzzers has improved their perception of Random House 20,000+ Monthly Visits 25+ Minutes per Member Visit Engagement Brand Affinity/Loyalty 60,000+ Random Buzzers Members 50,000+ Offline WOM Conversations 90,000+ Consumers Reached Offline WOM 79% Indicated Random Buzzers has increased their likelihood to purchase from Random House 14,000+ UGC Objects (photos, images, video) 13,000+ Books Read/Added to Bookshelves Purchase Intent UGC 45,000+ Text and Feedback Items 3,700+ Book Reviews 2,500+ Author Questions * Results through July 2010

33. Thanks! New York (Headquarters): 135 West 26th Street 8th Floor New York, NY 10001 (212) 684-9100 California: 612 Howard Street Suite 100 San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 278-9700 www.beaffinitive.com