One American in ten tells the other nine where to shop, what to buy...even how to vote. The Influentials tells who they are, and how they can be influenced. Who are they? The most influential Americans—the ones who tell their neighbors what to buy, which politicians to support, and where to vacation—are not necessarily the people you'd expect. They're not America's most affluent ten percent or best-educated ten percent. They're not the "early adopters," always the first to try everything from Franco-Polynesian fusion cooking to digital cameras. They are, however, the 10 percent of Americans most engaged in their local communities...and they wield a huge amount of influence within those communities. They're the campaigners for open-space initiatives. They're church vestrymen and friends of the local public library. They're the Influentials...and whether or not they are familiar to you, they're very well known to the researchers at RoperASW. For decades, these researchers have been on a quest for marketing's holy grail: that elusive but supremely powerful channel known as word of mouth. What they've learned is that even more important than the "word"—what is said—is the "mouth"—who says it. They've identified, studied, and analyzed influence in America since the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (now Exxon) hired Elmo Roper himself to develop a model for identifying opinion leaders, and in The Influentials, they are finally ready to share their results. A few samples: • Influentials have been the "early majority"—leading indicators of what Americans will be buying—for more than five decades, from choosing energy-efficient cars in the 1970s to owning computers in the 1980s to adopting 401(k)s and IRAs in the 1990s to using the Internet and cell phones today. • Influentials have led the way in social development as well, from the revival of self-reliance (in managing their own health care, investments, and consumption) to mass skepticism about the marketing claims of everything from breakfast food to politicians. Although America's Influentials have always been powerful, they've never been more important than now. Today, a fragmented market has made it possible for Influentials to opt out of mass-message advertising, which means that a different route must be taken to capture their hearts and minds. The Influentials is a map for that route, a map that explains who these people are, how they exercise influence, and how they can be targeted. The Influentials features a series of rules and guidelines for marketing to Influentials; case studies of products that have prospered because of Influential marketing (and products that have failed because they lacked it); a history of the phenomenon...and why Influentials are more influential today than ever; and profiles of twelve real-life Influentials. Both an intellectual adventure and a hands-on marketing manual, The Influentials is an extraordinary gold mine of information and analysis that no business can afford to ignore.

Although opinion leadership has been the subject of numerous studies, in areas ranging from politics to fashion and in many societies and cultures, The Influentials represents the first systematic analysis of the concept. It offers a multidisciplinary presentation of the definitions, typologies, methods, and findings of opinion leadership, from its early formulation, through the emergence of the first empirical evidence, to the most recent research. Weimann examines opinion leadership and personal influence in a number of areas, including marketing, public opinion and elections, education, fashion, science, agriculture, and health care. He also examines the growing criticism of the model based on theoretical and empirical weaknesses of the original concept and evaluates for the first time modifications that have emerged, including a new measure (the PS Scale) and its testing and application. The final chapters for the first time link opinion leadership with the important theoretical and research tradition of agenda setting.

Although opinion leadership has been the subject of numerous studies, in areas ranging from politics to fashion and in many societies and cultures, The Influentials represents the first systematic analysis of the concept. It offers a multidisciplinary presentation of the definitions, typologies, methods, and findings of opinion leadership, from its early formulation, through the emergence of the first empirical evidence, to the most recent research. Weimann examines opinion leadership and personal influence in a number of areas, including marketing, public opinion and elections, education, fashion, science, agriculture, and health care. He also examines the growing criticism of the model based on theoretical and empirical weaknesses of the original concept and evaluates for the first time modifications that have emerged, including a new measure (the PS Scale) and its testing and application. The final chapters for the first time link opinion leadership with the important theoretical and research tradition of agenda setting.

The must-read summary of Ed Keller and Jon Berry's book: "The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy". This complete summary of the ideas from Ed Keller and Jon Berry's book "The Influentials" shows that, for most people, the first step in the buying process is to ask someone what they think, and then to test-drive those ideas and suggestions with others before making a purchase decision. Therefore, to forecast what direction consumer preferences will move in in the future, it isn’t necessary to research the entire population. In their book, the authors encourage all business owners to know and understand what the "influential people" are thinking - this will give you a good indicator of what the population as a whole will say. This summary provides an insight into the mind-set of these influentials and how you can predict their opinions. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand key concepts • Expand your business knowledge To learn more, read "The Influentials" and discover the key to getting the influential people on board, so that everyone else will follow.

The hundred books discussed here have radically altered the course of civilisation , whether they have embodied religions practised by millions, achieved the pinnacle of artistic expression, pointed the way to scientific discovery of enormous consequence, redirected beliefs about the nature of man, or forever altered the global political landscape. For each there is a historical overview, an analysis of the work's effect on our lives today and a lively discussion of the reasons for inclusion.