This week's readings and topics are all about the power of the people. My goal at the beginning of the week was to understand 1) the impact of internet communities on our culture, 2) the business opportunity at hand, and 3) why this is happening and why now - because at our local neighborhood community meeting attendance is low.....I work for a major CPG firm, so I will look at this groundswell shift through the lens of opportunities for consumer products.
I just got back from being in a friend's wedding in Jamaica last week, so I really didn't dive in to the reading until today. I will have to be more proactive and space this out, because I have spent the last 2 hours reading articles and watching videos! ("The Dawn of the Human Network", "Web Video", "Why the Groundswell?", video "Star Search").
Back to the topic at hand - Power to the people. First, "Why the Groundswell?" calls out the perfect storm of factors that have lead to this shift. People, Technology, & Economics. People have always organized and wanted to connect - whether to rebel, to share passions, to advance a social movement, etc. Technology has allowed people to organize, from every corner of the globe, in a cheap & easy way (sorry, local neighborhood meeting - you are too inconvenient). Finally, the economics of the internet rewards high traffic sites and blogs, therefore the business opportunity is about becoming a major community connection point in a relevant and authentic way.
The biggest thing that surprised me about the groundswell is how powerful it is or can be. It can take neutralize large organizations like the AACS LA in the Digg.com story, or it can help two college droupouts make $17 million in sales by having other people design their products (threadless.com). CPG companies can take advantage of this business opportunity by first plugging in to how their brands are discussed in these various communities. This means more than just watching your ratings on Amazon.com or other sites (Star Search - NPR video). Those can be "too nice" and don't always accurately represent the feelings on the brand or product.
Once there is a clear understanding of the current brand reputation, companies can begin to join in on the conversation. The "prosumer" movement has proven that people want to create content and input into products. Ask about new ideas, ask about improvements, get prosumers to create commercials or package designs. Create a web video that becomes viral to get communities talking.
I think a brand that does this very well is Old Spice. This brand was once known as the "old guy" scent, and now is a hip, cool brand thanks to a hilarious campaign that reaches across TV, twitter, facebook, youtube, etc. The brand created a groundswell last summer by simply replying in Youtube videos to some tweets from fans. This immediately drove to a tweeting frenzy by fans, including celebrities who retweeted and the rest is history. You can read more about this at this link (and watch some of the videos). http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2010/07/13/shirtless-old-spice-guy-replies-on-twitter-with-hilarious-personalized-videos/
Great campaign....followed the Web Video axiom of keeping it funny too!
So the business opportunity here is to understand that the people have the power, and the internet has maximized that. Jump in and join the discussion - you will better understand your brand, relate to your buyers, and can use their feedback and input to design your next product.
Your post for the week reflects a comprehension consistent with the goals of the class. I suspect in a CPG company some of this is standard fare that you have long since followed and applied.
ReplyDeleteI might add one note that pertains to your crowdsourcing commentary. I have followed crowdsourcing via Threadless.com and sites like Encore.com for some time. But I am impressed with how effectively crowdsourcing has infiltrated other areas and functions of marketing. Gap, Inc.'s attempt to change their logo was derailed by online protests from loyal traditionalists. So, Gap decided to seek a verdict using an online poll: new logo vs. old. I noted they essentially are using the crowd to make a key marketing decision. This may not be advisable but it does show deference to the consensus opinion. Similarly I noted that an ad agency has been created that solicits campaign ideas from the crowd. Harley Davidson is a client of such an agency. There are a lot of appropriate questions about such an approach but it is, as you point out, born out of the capability available in the brave, new world of marketing.