Introduction
Roughly two months ago I was first exposed to David Meerman Scott’s work. The first time I had seen his work was at a webinar hosted by Hubspot where he was promoting the upcoming release of his book “World Wide Rave”. I had liked what I had heard at the webinar and my curiosity was peaked, so I decided to put my name on the waiting list for his new book. David Meerman Scott had authored four previous books, one of which was a best seller, but I had not read any of these at that point so I had no previous impressions. Does “World Wide Rave” deliver? I will answer this question and provide my thoughts on his work in this article.

A Tall Order
David Meerman Scott defines a World Wide Rave as the following:

“A World Wide Rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. Whether you’re located in San Francisco, Dubai, or Reykjavik, it’s when global communications eagerly link to your stuff on the Web. It’s when online buzz drives buyers to your virtual doorstep. And it’s when tons of fans visit your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there.”

The best part of this concept is that if implemented correctly, the person or organization wishing to create a World Wide Rave can do so on the cheap, or even for free! This is in stark contrast to traditional marketing methods where costs can, and often do, balloon up into the millions.

This was in my opinion a tall order. The expectations are huge. Consider that you have an author claiming to be able to trigger a World Wide Rave at minimal to no cost. In order to lend credibility to the work the book itself must trigger a World Wide Rave. If this could be pulled off, the rewards will be big, however on the other hand, should a World Wide Rave not be triggered the content would become empty words. This is indeed a tall order.

Pre-Release
In the weeks leading up to the book release I witnessed a good amount of buzz surrounding it. There were webinars, viral videos, and blog articles written. There was activity on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. I found the activity to be much more than the release of your typical business book. All in all I was impressed by the pre-release activities – David Meerman Scott was marketing his book based on the techniques outlined in “World Wide Rave” and appeared to be having success doing so – a World Wide Rave in the making.

Highlights
Once “World Wide Rave” did hit the streets I picked up my copy and read through it fairly quickly. My overall impression is that it is a small package jam packed with tremendous value. This book was not only marketed well, but delivers on those promises – not only in theory but in practice. I will provide an overview of the material contained within.

“World Wide Rave” is centered around six core concepts which if implemented correctly, and given enough time, can trigger a World Wide Rave. It is important to note that there is no guarantee that a World Wide Rave can be created, as luck and timing are involved, however these principles serve to point the reader in the right direction and increase the likelihood of success. Here they are:

1. Nobody cares about your products (except you)
2. No coercion required.
3. Lose control.
4. Put down roots.
5. Create triggers that encourage people to share.
6. Point the world to your (virtual doorstep).

I will not go into too many specifics here as if you are interested in greater detail I encourage you to buy the book. However I will say that the premise of the book focuses on selflessness, decentralization,  and the creation of great content. The main idea is that if you build solid content, support this content with design and technology, and share it with those that have a general need, the good news will spread like wildfire and “pull” business to you. Sometimes this occurs overnight (with a lot of luck and timing), however more often than not it takes time to cultivate and is an ongoing process.

Besides the overall concept which I have embraced, there are many other aspects that make this book great. The book is written in a conversational tone and in small chunks which allow for easy digestion and a quick read. The book is also smaller and has a layout different than most other books, this makes it stand out even further. I have noticed that some other great marketing books, for example – The Open Brand, are of a different size than traditional books as well – there must be something to this. Finally, the author provides explanation of the six concepts outlined above which are effectively paired with solid and timely examples of those who have achieved success using these principles. The examples range from grounded self made individuals to corporations. For this reason I believe “World Wide Rave” should appeal to both independents and corporate minded individuals alike.

“World Wide Rave” does possess corporate undertones, present in both content and design, which is not necessarily a bad thing – it is really just a unique blend of small business and corporate mindedness. Again it is not necessarily on either end of the spectrum, but fits snugly in the middle. The design and style of “World Wide Rave” reminded me of Tom Peter’s book “Re-Imagine”, although “World Wide Rave” is not nearly as over the top as this book, it has a similar style which pushes the envelope but has some grounding as well. David Meerman Scott shares his life experience in “World Wide Rave”, one of which is a reference to a transition from corporate life to that of self-employment. My guess is that this was somewhat recent (at least in the past few years) and the author is evolving and finding his unique style and voice. This is only speculation, but if so I will be interested to see this evolution as it appears in future work and if the author gravitates more towards the independent, small business or corporate tone.

Lead By Example
After reading “World Wide Rave” I am not only impressed by the work but am more impressed by David Meerman Scott following his own techniques to promote his book. Those who are familiar with the author’s work will likely know that he is a huge proponent of marketing through solid content. This even involves giving away content for free in order to build credibility and spread the word, which in turn will lead to future sales of a product or service.

The author’s techniques used to promote this book are all outlined within “World Wide Rave”. He is incredibly transparent which is refreshing. There are so many business books and seminars that I have attended which advise you to do one thing, yet the creators of the content will do another. When this occurs it lessens credibility of the work and wastes my time. In fact I have seen this enough that I am a bit of a skeptic as most do not practice what they preach. That is not the case with David Meerman Scott and “World Wide Rave”. Because the author is so transparent it makes for a more interesting and long term vested interest. I more readily want to adopt the principles outlined within and am interested and have fun watching as the author employs them himself – it makes for a greater all around experience.

One example occurred during the release of “World Wide Rave”. Using the principle of free content driving future sales as referenced above, the author gave away free copies to anyone owning an Amazon Kindle for download on his website for the first five days of release. This is the first time that I had come across this concept before and found it fascinating. Sure it is one thing to talk about giving away free content – but it is quite another to give away your newly published book! That is certainly having courage in your convictions and leading by example! The author is confident enough in his ideas and confident that the  content within is solid enough to fuel future sales – the initial free downloads will likely only be a drop in the bucket when compared to the growth it fuels and well worth the sacrifice. For those interested in reading more about this example, click here.

The Final Verdict
“World Wide Rave” is a great book which is easy to read and provides great content. I recommend it those who are interested in promoting themselves or their business using the latest techniques. This is especially relevant to those wanting to start a marketing campaign over the long term without great expense. In many ways “World Wide Rave” is ahead of its time, but this is a good thing. I believe that the concepts outlined in this book are in their infancy and will grow tremendously over the coming years.

I am actually working my way backwards through David Meerman Scott’s other books and am presently reading “The New Rules Of Marketing & PR” which is a great read so far. I have also become a regular reader of his blog, Web Ink Now and am making my way through the archives. I have added Web Ink Now to our blogroll for those interested in more of David Meerman Scott’s work.

World Wide Rave is a small package packed with tremendous value!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding