by Itamar Simonson (Get the Book)According to Simonson (Sebastian S. Kresge Professor, marketing, Graduate Sch. of Business, Stanford Univ.) and Rosen (The Anatomy of Buzz), what draws consumers to products in an age of readily available information is their "absolute value," or ultimate quality. The authors argue that the ease of finding immediate evaluations from strangers, friends, and experts about any given item with the click of a button has stripped away most marketing dogma. Gone are the days when positioning or brand loyalty influenced what people bought. Many products are at the mercy of aggregation tools and review websites, with the report from a buyer about their experience determining its success or failure. The book identifies the shift from relative value to absolute; the new changes in marketing, given the way people respond to the rapid spread of accessible information about new products; and the introduction of an "Influence Matrix" that helps managers determine where their product falls in this new framework. -Simonson and Rosen offer suggestions for how to navigate successfully the new environment and quickly respond to the opportunities it affords. VERDICT The authors' approach to thriving in the new climate of consumerism is a worthwhile addition to any business section. --Library Journal
