allaboutadvocacy.com

Kindle Advocates

I have considered buying an Amazon Kindle and was not sure what they were really like.  [The Kindle is an innovative and revolutionary electronic paper reader that has a screen so high res that you feel like you are reading from paper.  It's simple to use and thankfully has no cables or synching requirements. ] Therefore I was fascinated to learn that there is a merry band of Kindle advocates who are happy to show you how they work in real life.  Amazon’s See a Kindle in Your City marketing initiative provides a message board sharing system for you to find a “live” person in your city or state to see the  Kindle.  A good example of how in-person touch and feel can be a true benefit at times. These Kindle (Kindlers?) volunteer advocates are only too happy to show you their Kindles in action. They are the uber- enthusiasts and fans who just want to share their joy with others. Amazon does not pay them in any way.

I went to the Amazon site and looked into what’s doing in NY for Kindle prospects. Here is a message from a Kindle fan: “Love my Kindle, so come see it in Manhattan. I’m at 16th/8th in Chelsea right by a subway stop and a Starbucks. I’ve now met with two prospects and had a great experience showing off my Kindle.  I continue to be available, and there are others in NYC available as well. See down this post, and check out a NYC post a couple days old.”

This is a great example of advocacy in action, exactly what Weber Shandwick has been researching and talking about for some time now. Kindle ambassadors sum it all up quite nicely.

By the way, I learned about this in Advertising Age (09/08/08).