Abstract:

The way a company chooses to disclose information about itself greatly impacts its reputation. The Internet is often overlooked as a channel that can be strategically used to relay corporate messages to key constituencies. Indeed, today's influential audiences actively use the Internet, along with other media, to collect and distill information. Using a unique formula to spot outspoken public opinion leaders, Burson-Marsteller has identified the online influentials, or the e-fluentials', among the online communities supported by SAP, a global enterprise software provider. This case illustrates how web-based technologies can be used to build lists of powerful audience members for targeted communication campaigns and connect marketers with special interest groups online.