Recommender Revolution

“The Recommender Revolution is a book with real meat on it, one that goes beyond the usual superficialities. The innovativecontent, combined with Jan Van den Bergh’s brilliant and unique style of writing, mean that this book is highly recommended!” Nicole Berx, President of the International Marketing Congress Commission at Stima and Director of the House of Marketing
Whose advice do you ask if you are looking for good wine, new running shoes, the latest TV or even the best depilator on the market? How much of what you buy is influenced by the comments of family, friends and colleagues? Who are the consumers who can make or break a brand? And why do they do it? Recommenders are universal. You find them at all times and in all places. Whether asked to or not, they give their opinions about everything. Also about brands. Sometimes bluntly, sometimes with nuance. Since the growth of the internet, their role has become more important than ever before. In this book you can read how this happened and why they are gaining influence daily. Recommenders who praise or criticise products and services based on their own experience are the real advertisers of today. Human media is replacing mass media. Or rather are creating a different type of mass-reach media. More reliable. More convincing. More honest. Stronger. The Recommender Revolution gives an ex-advertising man’s vision of the future for the world of marketing and advertising. This new future promises great things for all consumers and for the brands that can truly excel, so that they are praised to the heavens by the collective public. Before Jan Van den Bergh moved to China in 2006, he lived in Belgium and worked in the advertising business. He was closely involved in the founding of Saatchi&Saatchi Brussels and Boondoggle. As an internet pioneer, the figures soon convinced him that active (online) fanatics would become vitally important in the success or failure of brands.