In 2007, Affinitive worked with Random House on a “pilot” program to help promote a teen-oriented book for an unknown, first-time author. Based on the success of the program and demonstrated passion of teen readers, the program was expanded and “Random Buzzers” was launched.
Random Buzzers (http://www.randombuzzers.com) is a teen-focused book community/social platform that allows teens with an interest in writing to interact with their peers in the co-creation of writing projects, engage with Random House authors in weekly discussions, have their reviews featured throughout the official Random House site, and read books exclusively before they hit shelves.
Random Buzzers was born out of the objective to create a highly engaged and passionate network of teenage readers, empowering them with the tools, information, and incentives to facilitate Word of Mouth endorsements, while providing them with an unprecedented level of insider access into the world of publishing and Random House’s acclaimed roster of authors.
Random Buzzers is structured as a public community of passionate readers and aspiring writers with recruitment supported by in-site portal experiences, media buys, and Random House author-specific databases.
Buzzers have custom profiles where they show off their favorite books and authors on their “virtual bookshelf”, write a bevy of reviews, partake in author, genre, general teen, and title-specific activities that result in user generated content that range from novellas to photographs to book cover designs.
Entering into dialogue with both Random House staffers and authors, as well as dialogue with their peers, Random Buzzers facilitates a level of brand and celebrity access that makes the readers feel as though they are part of the book release development process. Prior to this initiative, many of the readers have indicated they were unaware of which books were Random House and which were not, throughout the course of this program they have grown to identify Random House as a brand and now distinguish and share with their peers offline Random House specific titles.
Program Results (as of August 1; can be updated as needed):
Participants: More than 36,820 “Random Buzzers” teen readers and counting
Average member age: 18.5 years
Active Members: 22% of members active each month
Average time on site: 32 minutes per visit
User-generated content:
17,500+ photos submitted
5,600+ comments
1,100+ book reviews
50,200 + forum posts
Client: Random House
Agency: Affinitive
Budget: Undisclosed
Program Duration: Annual/Ongoing Program
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