Examine the fi rm’s Web site at www.mosquitomagnet

.com. Are they using any cutting-edge technology online to encourage buzz or WOM? How can the fi rm encourage word-of-mouth communications about the Mosquito Magnet?

Female mosquitoes bite humans and other creatures to acquire blood for the protein they need to lay eggs. They are attracted to humans by the carbon dioxide and other compounds in their breath as well as body heat, moisture, and organic compounds on the skin. Mosquitoes typically do not fl y more than a few hundred yards from where they are hatched (unless wind-blown) during their short (several weeks) lives. Thus, if most females are continuously killed in an area, the population should collapse in six to eight weeks.
The Mosquito Magnet was launched on the basis of these facts. It looks a bit like a small gas barbecue grill, complete with propane tank. It mimics a large mammal by emitting a plume of carbon dioxide, heat and moisture, and octenol (a chemical in human breath). This plume attracts female mosquitoes, no-see-ums, biting midges, black fl ies, and sand fl ies. It attracts only blood-sucking insects. As the insects approach the Magnet, they are vacuumed into a net where they dehydrate and die. Tests indicate that this system is the most effective available.