To accelerate the rate at which the word about a product spreads, smart companies seed their products at strategic points in many different clusters with seed units. A seed unit is an actual product or a representative sampling from the product that you are trying to promote (a book, a computer, a software package), which you place in the hands of seed customers. The logistics vary: The seed unit can be offered at full price, at a discount, on a loan basis, or for free. But the principle is always the same: You give people in multiple clusters direct experience with the product. Instead of waiting for the natural (but sometimes painfully slow) transfer of information from one cluster to the next, you take the initiative and ensure that this transfer occurs. The following excerpt describes how Microsoft used this concept in 1995.

One of the most talked-about products in the mid-1990s was Windows 95, and seeding played an important role in that buzz. Microsoft had 450,000 advance copies out before the product was actually released. Seeding wasn't the main reason these copies were sent out. Fifty thousand copies were distributed as part of the beta testing program to ensure that the product was put through its paces by a large number of users. The other 400,000 copies were distributed as part of the Windows 95 Preview Program, which allowed information technology professionals to plan their move to the new operating system.

Regardless of the motivation, Microsoft placed a copy of its new software at just one or two degrees of separation from any PC user. With 85 million PC owners around the world at the time and 450,000 advance copies of Windows 95 out, it is safe to assume that if a PC user didn't know someone directly who had an advance copy, at least he or she knew of someone who did. One out of every 189 PC users had an early version of Windows 95.

In searching for beta testers, software companies look for people from a variety of backgrounds who use their computers in a variety of configurations, and this is exactly what made these programs into such effective seeding efforts. To compile the list of participants in these programs, Microsoft used a variety of mailing lists, input from their sales teams, resellers, etc. This breadth is what made it into such a good seeding program.

Not all comments that spread in the networks about Windows 95 were positive ones. That's the risk you take when you send your product out there. But overall, Microsoft created real excitement, especially among end users. As part of what BusinessWeek called "a marketing and advertising blitz that could make Revlon blush," Microsoft also invited 70,000 people to product launch parties around the country, and of course employed its efficient PR machine to generate coverage in the media. Microsoft released the software at the stroke of midnight on August 24, 1995. Long lines and instant sellouts stimulated even more discussion when they were reported through the media on the following day.

Also in this chapter: • Protect the People You Seed • Pay Attention to "Dead" Networks • The Four Rules of a Successful Seeding Campaign