'Closing the Chasm'™

Identify Influentials & Opinion Leaders,
Get Them Working for You!

— G. Gary Manross, Ph.D.

Consumer behavior (such as adopting new products/ideas) is a follow-the-leader process; the masses follow relatively few Opinion Leaders and other "influentials."  The adoption process is best understood through powerful paradigm that has been studied for more than 50 years.  This paradigm is one called Diffusion of Innovations.[1]

While 'Diffusion' theory was introduced into the marketing discipline in the 1960s, the power of this approach as a persuasive tool is only now being accepted by corporate America.  Examples of its recent acceptance can be seen in such publications as:

• The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word-of-Mouth Marketing, by Emanuel Rosen; Doubleday
• The Influentials: One American in 10 Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy, by Edward Keller and Jonathan Berry; Simon & Schuster
• Crossing the Chasm: Marketing & Selling High-tech Products to Mainstream Customers, by Geoffrey A. Moore; HarperBusiness
• Linked: The New Science of Networks, by Albert-Lászlo Barabási; Perseus Publishing

SRI is one of the few organizations, if not the only organization, in America that specializes in developing and implementing strategic/tactical plans that are driven by the Diffusion paradigm.  In fact, SRI's Chairman/CEO, G. Gary Manross, Ph.D., studied under the "father" of Diffusion theory, Dr. Everett Rogers, at the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California.  They continue to collaborate on projects of mutual interest.

To learn more, read Diffusion of Innovations: Closing the Chasm™

[1] Rogers, Everett M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations (4th edition). New York, NY: The Free Press.

Contact us to learn more; call toll-free (800) 224-7608 or email us at MoreInfo@SRI-Consulting.org