The number one influencer of 16-24 year olds is 16-24 year olds. I love this statement. It says so much about the power of peer influence within an age group that is so easily influenced.

It’s not a surprising statement, either. What is interesting, however, is that this statement is becoming relevant for consumers in all age brackets. 78% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations. We’re all easily influenced by each other, meaning that information sharing in social media is very valuable.

Enter this:

What you are looking at are screenshots of Google Buzz mobile. Not only can I see who near me is buzzing, I can see where they are. If someone is in a location I’m heading towards, I can see what they are saying. In this case, one person has just told me that the Florentine’s at a local coffee shop are more expensive than at CU Business School.

Real-Time Reviews

As more people adopt buzz, the aggregated conversations in one location can paint an incredible real-time picture of what is happening around you, based on the opinions of other people. Is your favorite restaurant out of their nightly special? Did someone have terrible customer service at the running store you’re headed to? All of this information is immediately accessible, in addition to being timely and relevant.

Large User Base

Geo-location services are by no means new. Consider, though, that Gmail’s active monthly user base is rumored to be around tens of millions (compare that to Foursquare’s 350k and MyTown’s 1mm total users). Add that to the fact that buzz is an opt-out rather than opt-in feature, and we’re likely to see a much higher adoption rate.

It’s Google

I’ve had a few debates about this since Buzz launched Tuesday, and I continue to argue this: A lot of people use Gmail. Through Gmail, a lot of people who aren’t early-adopters have tried out new Google products like docs, calendar and wave. Because these people have an established trust for what Google can bring into their lives, they’ll be willing to try out Buzz, much more so than they’d be willing to try out a similar product from an unfamiliar company. And as our designer Andy Stone pointed out, Google’s “Do No Evil” policy has also helped build trust within a distrusting consumer group.

It’s Social

Now the medium that we (or at least, I) need most on a daily basis to communicate is directly connected with a sharing function that isn’t tied to a type of content (ie Yelp for reviews, Foursquare for tips and frequency). Buzz is just thoughts.  I, for one, am going to share, and I’ll share whatever is on my mind. Freed from the constraints of types of reviews, I think we’ll soon be seeing a geo-tagged map of candid consumer thinking.

Good, Bad, Viral

This is great for the way your brand engages with individual consumers. Fast Company already took a look at user-targeted advertising through Buzz. You may soon be able to target individual consumers based on very individual habits, an act which can help build relevant and meaningful relationships, one person at a time. It also means you need to monitor and play an active role in the buzz (Buzz?) going on around your company. You can respond to any comment that is public, so any time your brand shows up on a map, you should be there to discuss. More importantly, you should be there before the discussion starts, letting us know what’s going on in your kitchen, your factory, and your main conference room.

Take, for example, Bonnaroo’s decision to let individual bands announce their presence in the 2010 lineup (along with individual announcements through MySpace). It took resourceful individuals to piece together the entire lineup, and the news spread like wildfire. What if you had a single person in your brewery Buzz about your latest creation, rather than announce it through press release? Which one would spread faster? Which one would spread organically?

Google Buzz has the potential to create huge buzz, both positive and negative. So get to using it. I am.

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