Let's Get It Started! WOM, Buzz, and Viral Marketing Communication at Northeastern University

I'm excited to announce that the first class of Word of Mouth, Buzz, and Viral Marketing Communication is tomorrow at 9:50 am. I taught this course over the summer of 2006 and we had a wonderful time (be sure to check out the archives for student comments).

Here's a link to the new syllabus for those who want more details about the class.

The class size is smaller this term, around 10 students, so we'll be able to have a lot of great interactions. Students will be blogging again so we invite all the readers to participate through commenting on their posts.

I've kept the main assignments the same with some minor tweaks based on student comments from last time around...

• WOM Communication Diary and Reflection Essay
• Evaluating Organized Word-of-Mouth Marketing Program and Company
• Designing Organized WOM Program (Capstone Assignment)
• Course Blog Participation

For the Evaluating Organized Word-of-Mouth marketing Program and Company assignment we'll be partnering with leading firms (and WOMMA member companies) including...

• Ammo Marketing
• Brains On Fire
• BzzAgent
• Matchstick
• M80

...and we have another all-star line-up of guest speakers...

• Jim Nail, Cymfony
• Steve Curran & Jessica Morris, PodDesign
• Joe Muran, M80
• Jackie Huba, Church of the Customer
• Dave Balter, BzzAgent

In addition to academic journal articles, news reports, and blog posts, two of the required books for the course include Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba's Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message and Justin Kirby and Paul Marsden's edited collection Connected Marketing: The Viral, Buzz and Word of Mouth Revolution.

We'll also be working with the folks in Northeastern's Marketing Communications -- Brian Kenny, Alyssa Meritt, and Ann Comer -- as clients for the capstone assignment.

Thanks to the following individuals and companies for allowing us to post some of their content as class readings on our course Blackboard site: Peter Kim of Forrester, Tim Keiningham of Ipsos Loyalty, Brad Fay at The Keller Fay Group, Kate Kaye of Lowbrow Lowdown, Andy Sernovitz (for a special gift that the students don't yet know about), and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

Let's get it started!

-->
Tags: WOM word of mouth Word-of-Mouth Marketing buzz marketing viral marketing marketing communication Northeastern University