The ROI of Curiousity: The Why of BzzAgents

It's a mystery that more folks, especially Worthwhile Magazine, haven't read the BzzAgents New York Times piece for its meaningful work and entrepreneurial lessons and out of sheer curiousity as to why people are intrinsically motivated to be BzzAgents. Dave Balter has built a very large volunteer corps and has one of the best recent examples of employing the concept of leverage in business.

BalterIM: The volunteers cite the feeling of being 'on the inside', like sharing opinions with others, and enjoy feeling altruistic. Has Madison Avenue figured out what open source developers knew all along? - a blogged internal IM conversation referencing a Slashdot post

Yes, you heard me right. I said curiousity. Where's the ROI in curiousity? Yes, marketers and business people live, eat, breathe curiousity about our own and other people's underlying motivations and desires. That's how you recognize opportunity, unmet needs and untapped markets.

[T]he craving need to make meaning is part of the human condition. And again, if you don't satisfy a craving need with a commercial answer, you should be thrown into the business hall of infamy. - The Culting of Brands, by Douglas Atkin

I'd re-read the NYT piece looking for the WHYs - for instance, why do agents drawn to do this? It goes beyond wanting to appear to be influential and in-the-know - i.e. be blessed as one of the Influentials, or the Magic People the article refers to. Although that's one of the more easily surfaced and obvious motivators.

When she signed up for her first BzzAgent campaign -- ''The Frog King,'' in fact -- she was working with a pharmaceutical researcher, mostly doing paperwork, and thinking about finding a more fulfilling way to spend her days.... So participating is both a chance to weigh in and be heard, and also something close to an act of altruism. - NYT

Reader Mike Rhodes mentioned to me that Ben Saunders set out from Cape Arktichevsky in Northern Siberia in an attempt to be the first person in the world to make a complete crossing of the frozen Arctic Ocean in a 1,240-mile journey ending in Canada, solo and unsupported. He says that part of the reason that he did so was to demonstrate human potential; he felt we use only 5% of our potential as humans. If you ask me, we're not even tapping that much of our potential.

Over the past five years, organizations have paid more attention to creativity and innovation than at any other time in my career. But I believe most people aren't anywhere near to realizing their creative potential, in part because they're laboring in environments that impede intrinsic motivation. The anecdotal evidence suggests many companies still have a long way to go to remove the barriers to creativity. - The Six Myths of Creativity, Fast Company

I think the other thing I read in the piece was that perhaps we're all Magic People. We're all Magic People when our intrinsic worth and potential is recognized and called forth. I think ultimately that people want to make a difference with their lives and are seeking opportunities to do so.

Under some circumstances, we will expend more effort for social rewards than we will for monetary rewards. This suggests that the agents may do more to spread word of mouth precisely because they are not being paid...

Crucial to the BzzAgent system is the small team of young people in Boston who read and answer every single Bzz report. They offer encouragement, tips on how to improve word-of-mouth strategies. Every report is rated and every agent ranked according to a complicated formula, one that is constantly being tweaked, taking into account everything from how often the agent reports to how many people they tend to buzz to the quality of their summaries -- plus intangibles like originality....[Hence in next paragraph we're told the reports are full of personality and creativity.] - NYT

The Rich Dad Poor Dad series by Robert Kiyosaki advocates that individuals join MLM programs not so much for the income opportunity but for the leadership, sales, business and personal development training that comes along with them.

Desjardins is ranked the 45th most effective BzzAgent, out of 60,000 nationwide, and proud of it. He has learned to influence.

Throughout the story, I continued to read that people aren't motivated by their jobs, aren't continuous learning in their jobs, aren't connecting with others in their jobs, aren't able to fully utilize and see their talents expressed within their jobs, aren't challenged by their jobs, and aren't feeling a sense of making an individual difference to the success of the organization.

This might be the most peculiar thing about BzzAgent: not only are its volunteer agents willing to become shock troops in the marketing revolution, but many of them are flat-out excited about it. At his apartment, Desjardins told me about another book he had read because of BzzAgent. Called ''Join Me,'' it's about a guy who decides he wants to start some sort of voluntary group -- a commune, a cult, whatever you want to call it. He puts an ad in the paper that just says, ''Join me,'' and to his surprise, people are interested. They didn't know what they were joining, or why, but they joined anyway. The guy, whose name is Danny Wallace, decided to turn his followers into a good-deeds army, basically on the ''Pay It Forward'' method. The book is nonfiction. - NYT

Because things are so crazy out there, people like to find out if they see the world the same way as other people. People will believe anything - from a chocolate bar to a political view - if it makes them feel that they belong to something bigger than themselves. - Charlene, loyal Snapple drinker, from The Culting of Brands

After all, some people are lucky enough to find meaning and fulfillment through their work, family or spirituality. But many people don't. Many people have boring jobs and indifferent bosses. They feel ignored by politicians. They send e-mail to customer service and no one responds. They get no feedback. It's easy to feel helpless, uncounted, disconnected. Do you think, I asked Desjardins, that there's some element of that going on with BzzAgent?

''I think for some people it probably is,'' he answered. ''For me, it's being part of something big. I think it's such a big thing that's going to shape marketing. To actually be one of the people involved in shaping that is, to me, big.'' That made sense to me too. After all, there is one thing that is even more powerful than the upper hand, more seductive than persuading: believing. - NYT

Re-read the last sentence slowly. There is one thing that is even more powerful than the upper hand, more seductive than persuading: believing. And being part of something bigger than ourselves that's engaging ourselves and the world.

When somebody asked Einstein what question he would ask God if he could ask one, he replied, "How did the universe start? Because everything after that is just math."

And after thinking for a while, he changed his mind. He said, "Instead I would ask, 'Why was the universe created?' Because then I would know the meaning of my own life." - The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey

Comments

[anita]

This is a great post. And you're right. When I wrote the post at Worthwhile Magazine, my intent was to see what others thought about this. On the one hand, I think BzzAgent is brilliant; on the other, I have felt a bit. . . deceived when I heard a raving endorsement for something and later learned the endorser was an agent. So I remain somewhat on the fence. I'm very interested in the diaglogue

[jbr]

hmmm....i went to the Bzzz site and read about the program. It sounds like a good thing, but....after reading your latest post, I take pause at the seemingly competitive nature of the program....

for instance, what is the purpose of ranking? to get more reward points, right? in my mind, that almost immediately cancels out the alturistic vibe that is supposed to emanate from being a part of the "hive". once rankings and points enter into the equation, for me, it's no longer about being a part of a movement, it's now about competition...

and, if I am now competing to be ranked highly, it's no longer about believing, it's about me kicking your butt to move up the "hive" hierarchy. sure, i may talk about being a part of something bigger than me, but once rankings, etc come into play, it becomes something much different.

for illustration purposes, look at the Christian example...that is a true belief model. pretty simple belief system that millions adhere to...believe in the basic premise and you will be rewarded....nothing about earning points or having the best presentation (although, looking at most religious buildings, i wonder)...to me, if bzzz was about just doing your best to spread the word, without any form of ranking or reward, then it would be more about being a part of a bigger picture...that should be the reward; knowing that through your efforts, you expose people to a good product that may improve a quality of living.

anyway, i like the concept of bzzz, but the mechanics and resulting behaviors sorta bug me...no pun intended...

[Nirmala]

Nice post, Evelyn! And yes, I catch up with your Blog frequently coz I enjoy reading what you've to say and share! I've referred to this post of yours and have some related thoughts as well on my Blog. Keep Blogging!

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

From what I've gathered via their blog, BzzAgent is very open to feedback on its processes.

Anita & JBR: I also very much dislike that agents can be disingenious by concealing their involvement and that is my biggest gripe: the lack of transparency in the campaigns. While this is certainly not the case with all their volunteer corps (I just signed up because I prefer first-hand knowledge to adequately state my opinions), I think it's something that needs addressing. I have been very impressed by the level of transparency apparent in their blogs, so that's why I feel they are open to any feedback we may have.

JBR: You obviously read this even more closely than I. Yep, I agree the ranking system isn't needed, and could be detrimental to intrinsic motivators.

Nirmala: Thanks, btw, her post is at:
http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2004/12/creativity-myths_10.html

[Mike Rohde]

While Bzz seems a very interesting approach, I'm curious about the motivation of the comany and its represenatives. Specifically, the motivation of 'getting' versus acting out of real thankfulness.

If you look at JBR's example of Christianity, in it there's the idea of both immediate and delayed rewards for a life lived following Christ. However, I'd say the deeper and more sustainable motivator of Christianity is the idea that believers have been given grace by God, and because of this, are eager to perform acts of kindness, etc. out of true thankfulness.

I think a focus on achieving sales or social ranking (such as Cory Doctorow's idea of Whuffie points in Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom), puts Bzz agents at a slightly lower level of motivation. A Bzz agent acts because of what they might get out of it — not necessarily a bad thing.

However, the motivation to share your feelings and ideas about something you really love, believe in and are thankful for is a much deeper motivator. Those who act from thankfulness may receive rewards, but the drive to share with others comes from a completely different, and I believe, stronger motivation.

As an example, I love Palm handhelds and share their benefits to whomever I believe they could help out. I'm not paid to do this — I've done it because I really love the product and am thankful for the difference it has made in my own life.

I've spent many hours helping others integrate Palms into their lives, published a a free monthly newsletter (the Palm Tipsheet) for 5 years, to help users make better use of their Palm handhelds. Because of my actions born from thankfulness, I was noticed by the company which makes the operating system (PalmSource) to join a group of user representatives who advise them from a user's perspective.

I've done all these things because I am thankful, not for rewards. I might receive status in the Palm user community or the occasional device, software or peripheral to test out because of my work. But I have never confused the rewards with my reasons for action — I have acted because I am thankful. I've found acting from thankfulness can be sustained far longer than simply working for brownie points.

[jbr]

great comment, Mike...not for agreeing with me, but for helping me see bzzz in a different light. from my cursory look at bzzz, i would guess that most bzzz agents are somewhat "stay at home" people. knowing this demographic may help explain the behavior/motivation of a bzzz agent.

in your post, you eloquently describe why you freely give your time to assist others with Palm products. you profess a profound appreciation for the product and to repay the benefits bestowed upon you by Palm, you reach out to others in need. instead of hiding your talents, you are using them...

from reading the bzzz background info, i would infer that bzzz agents (stay at home demo) are not necessarily performing bzzz work out of gratitude, but rather, they perform bzzz actions to fill a void in life. i don't really think they are trying to improve anyone's life, but rather, they want to have a reason to interact with others and create more constructive purpose in their lives.

clearly, there is nothing wrong with filling a life with constructive purpose...in fact, i applaud these people for doing that...sure beats filling a life with alcohol, soap operas or tabloid journalism. i just don't think there isn't a lot of altruism in the hive. again, that's not a bad thing, but i don't really think the bzzz agents really consider themselves as something bigger than them. i think they like interacting with people and bzzz gives them a meaningful reason to do that. to me, that is much different than your actions.

of course, this is all conjecture and like Evelyn indicates, to accurately comment, one must be a part of the hive. i will await her fact based posts to get the real scoop. no doubt, it will be interesting.

[jbr]

one last note....Halley or Halley's Comment went to the Bzzz christmas party and blogged it...check it out
http://halleyscomment.blogspot.com/2004/12/bzzagent-xmas-party.html