I'll be creating more whuffie in 2010
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 7:20AM Kevin Doohan 
The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt
I just finished reading the Whuffie Factor and it had an unexpectedly important impact on my thinking.
I breezed through the book. I was already familiar with many of the examples and principles. It didn’t seem to be making a big impact on me and then BAM! I hit pages 254-255. On those pages is a list of flags that signal you are not thinking customer-centrically. I have to admit that many of the items sound familiar. I’ve centered my recent thinking around my company’s needs more than I thought (or at least would care to admit). For me, the thinking that the "customer-centric thinking" list inspired was worth the purchase price of the book. No doubt about it.
The bullets were a nice reminder for me to stay focused on the consumer. The thinking they inspired has changed my perspective on a couple of big projects I was planning for 2010. The projects made sense in an old school strategy kind of way. They would surely generate consumer engagement and are strategically aligned with the brand. But..they’re a little company-centric. I can deliver on the same objectives in a more customer-centric way by choosing a different direction. That’s what I’m going to do. The approach will be unusual but I bet the results will be better than I originally imagined. I thank Tara for the inspiration today and, in advance, for the improved results I expect in the future.
The Whuffie Factor is a good read. I recommend it for marketers who are newer to social media or digital marketing and for veterans that just want an entertaining read from someone who understands social media principles. Logical references to real world examples are shared throughout the book and Tara clearly gets the new dynamic of marketing. In a sentence, I'd summarize the new marketing approach as succeeding through being a trustworthy and generous friend. That's what generates whuffie. Good stuff.
