BzzAgent Launches iPhone App to Help Marketers Increase Brand Advocacy in Social Media

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - Oct 19, 2011) - BzzAgent, the social marketing arm of dunnhumby, today announced the launch of an iPhone app that will have a significant impact on the way people are able to instantaneously share brand experiences with their social networks.

The app helps marketers increase consumer advocacy by tapping into the emotional and visual impact of high-quality videos and photos taken with the iPhone, and makes it easy for brands to magnify the "eyes of the consumer" -- the videos and photos consumers take of product experiences in the store and at home with their families. Customer product demonstrations and "haul videos" that attract huge audiences on YouTube and Facebook can easily be shared across social media networks in an organized advocacy program.

Another key advantage of the app is that it will speed the process of generating word of mouth. Advocates of a brand can spontaneously share detailed product experiences on their iPhone as they happen, instead of waiting until they are back at their computers. This will have the biggest impact with on-the-go moms, who spend 37 percent of their daily media time using smartphones, according to research compiled by Babycenter. The same study revealed that 68 percent of moms use their smartphones while shopping.

"A picture is worth a thousand words, especially in marketing," said Dave Balter, CEO and Founder of BzzAgent. "When brand advocates are able to communicate a positive experience through video and photos, it has an impact you can't match with a written product review alone."

BzzAgent was acquired by Tesco subsidiary dunnhumby, primarily because of the social media expertise BzzAgent brings to shopper marketing. The launch of the iPhone app is BzzAgent's first major technology initiative since the acquisition, and is the latest advancement in "social shopper marketing" -- the process of connecting the dots from an individual's retail purchase history to their actions in social media, and following the path back to the retail store to track purchases they influenced in others.

The app is available for download now at: http://www.bzzagent.com/pg/iPhone. An app for Android is in development.

About BzzAgent
BzzAgent, a dunnhumby company, is a social marketing company that accelerates word of mouth to drive sales. Powered by an addressable network of over 400 million shoppers around the world, BzzAgent creates measurable business results for marketers through an influential advocate network, a powerful engagement platform, and a proven analytics approach. BzzAgent has been at the vanguard of word of mouth marketing since 2001, running more than 2,000 programs for global companies including Unilever, Wrigley, L'Oreal, and Michelin. For more information visit: http://about.bzzagent.com.