How Word of Mouth Works

“In recent years, the subject of buzz has generated a burst of scientific attention, as researchers try to understand why having lots of people talk about a brand of jeans, or a new smart-phone, makes the products so much more likely to succeed in the marketplace. The new buzz research demonstrates that we’re much less autonomous than we imagine. Everything we do is shaped by everyone else. … For Hollywood movies, the crucial tipping point occurs, he found, when 21% of Americans are buzzing about the film. Once that line is reached, levels of pre-release buzz directly predict box-office performance in the crucial opening weekend and afterward.”